Children of the TARDIS
by Of-The-Reds17
Summary: "She knew this woman was more than another companion. Firstly, she was not human, though she looked like one. Secondly, she would never leave him. That is what mattered most. This woman would always be by his side, travelling with and supporting him. She would be there with him through the best and the worst." - Begins just after 'The Doctor's Wife.' Eleventh Doctor/OC
1. Prologue

**This takes place directly after 'The Doctor's Wife,' and it will continue through Series Six and so on with some adventures of my own design thrown in there. I hope you enjoy reading this as mush as I enjoyed writing it.**

**A very BIG thanks to LizzeXX for giving me an inspiration and for proofreading my story. If you have not read any of her work, you should! They are wonderful.**

**Obviously, I do not own Doctor Who.**

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She watched with a solemn happiness as her thief twirled about the TARDIS console room, his arms spread out wide. His tweed jacket hung from one of the numerous levers, and he seemed to forget it was there and continued dancing. Seeing him so happy, happier than she had ever seen him in a long time, brought a soft smile to her face. Not that he could see her, of course. It was not until he sprinted from the console room and down the hall, shouting Amy and Rory's names, did she let her true sadness show. Her smile faded from her face, and the lights in the console room dimmed to near darkness. The room suddenly grew cold as she struggled not to weep.

_He's so alone_, she thought, her mind replaying their too short time together. She remembered every smile, every laugh, every scowl or frown that cross his face, but she could see the pain and sorrow lingering behind his expressions. When Amy and Rory had gone missing, it was his nightmare come true: losing another companion, and being able to do nothing about it. Seeing the horror on his face tortured her more than anything; even more when his hopes of finding other Time Lords were dashed. _And in so much pain._

However, she had never seen him more overjoyed then when they could finally speak face-to-face. She only wished she could see that genuine smile all the time.

_And why can't I? _she asked herself. _I am the TARDIS - his TARDIS - and I can do very well as I please. But... he was only happy when I was there and tangible. Can I do that again? _An image of Idris perishing because of the TARDIS Matrix within her jumped to the forefront of her mind, and the room dimmed further. That poor woman was dead because humans were so weak. _No, because of me. Humans are strong, which is why Thief loves them so much; but I'm stronger, and they can't handle that power. So what do I do?_

An idea came to mind. A crazy, ridiculous, but brilliant idea.

_Could I do it? _She peeked into the future, of what could be, and saw her thief laughing with a woman on his arm. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her flush against him, and buried his face in her dark hair. Her face turned a vibrant shade of red, but she made no move to pull away. Instead, she moved closer to him (if that were possible). At the sight of her thief truly happy, she could not help but smile, and the console room brightened. She knew this woman was more than another companion. Firstly, she was not human, though she looked like one. Secondly, she would never leave him. That is what mattered most. This woman would always be by his side, travelling with and supporting him. She would be there with him through the best and the worst.

_This is going to require a lot of energy, but I'm sure Thief won't mind a short, relaxing detour to Cardiff. The captain will be thrilled to see him again._

Putting in the coordinates for modern day Cardiff, the TARDIS settled before shooting off into the Time Vortex. Unlike the times when the Doctor piloted, this trip was much smoother. It had to be, if she was going to put her preposterous plan into action.

_Here goes everything._

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**Well, I hoped you like this (extremely short) prologue! If you did, feel free to review! If you didn't, then why are you reading this?**


	2. Who Are You? 1

**If you're reading this, I'm going to assume that the Prologue was not as much of a wreck as I thought it was. That makes me feel a bit better, then.**

**Again, don't own Doctor Who or any characters, plotlines, or locations therein.**

**Now that that is done onto Chapter One! (I may or may not put a rhyme at the end of each author's note. What do you think?)**

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"Doctor," Amy began when the TARDIS landed, a bit too smoothly for her liking. She could hear the wheezing as it materialized in an unknown location. Gripping her husband's arm, Amy glanced, panicked, at the Doctor. He simply stared at the ceiling in confusion, his hand absentmindedly adjusting his bowtie. Amy snapped her fingers in front of his face, recapturing his attention. "Doctor, where are we? Why did the TARDIS just stop? Is that supposed to happen?"

"No." He suddenly jumped to his feet and ran from the Ponds' room, Rory and Amy trailing after him.

"Where are we going?" Rory asked. He nearly stumbled over his feet, but Amy kept him upright with a firm grasp on his forearm. He sent her a grateful grin before crashing into the Doctor's back, who had come to a sudden stop at the console room. His humans stood on either side of him, staring at him in confusion. When he directed their gaze to the center of the room, their jaws dropped and eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Doctor, who is that?"

"I don't know."

Standing before the console, a hand resting delicately on one of the panels, was a woman. Her back was towards them, but they could see her dark hair styled in a pixie cut. At the sight of her smooth, milky legs poking out from beneath his tweed jacket, which was wrapped around her torso and tuck beneath her arms, the Doctor blushed. She seemed completely unaware of her nudity as she continued her rounds around the console, her hand trailing over the machinery behind her. When she made it full circle and was facing the trio - the Doctor released a breath he did not know he had been holding when he noticed that she was sufficiently covered -, she started and tightened the jacket around her slim frame. Her green eyes were wide with shock.

They started at one another in a heavy silence for a moment longer. Their intense gaze on her caused the woman to stare down at her bare, shuffling feet. That subtle movement jarred Amy out of her momentary surprise, and she slapped both of the boys on the back of their heads.

"What are you two doing, gawking at her?" snapped Amy. Rory had the decency to look ashamed, but the Doctor continued to stare intently at the stranger. "Doctor! Stop staring! She's naked and needs some clothes." The Scottish woman flew down the stairs, wrapped a friendly arm around the other woman, and guided her out of the room, down the hall, and into the TARDIS' closet. Almost immediately, Amy ushered her into a plush armchair, and the woman sat without a word, keeping the jacket tight around her chest.

"I'm sorry about those two." The red head began rifling through the racks, searching for something appropriate for the woman. She pulled out a white sweater and blue jeans, held them up, and then shook her head before discarding them over her shoulder. "They just don't know how to act around women."

"It's quite alright, Amelia Pond" she replied. Amy's movements faltered, but she soon continued with a renewed fervor. "I liked the green one, but the blue was also a lovely color. Although, it did not go well with his jacket. A leather one would suffice." Just as the words died on her lips, Amy pulled two V-necks in forest green and TARDIS blue from the rack and held them up for the woman to inspect. But her words soon registered in Amy's mind, and she tossed the green shirt to her while asking, "How did you know I was going to pick those?"

"The same way I know you are about to pull out a pair of black, straight leg jeans, which I highly approved of with some white trainers." Amy dived into the lines of clothing and quickly resurfaced with the exact clothes she had just described in hand. "Please, do not forget my leather jacket. I'm going to become very fond of that one day."

Amy found that as well before finding undergarments for the woman and passing them to her. Nodding her head in thanks, the mysterious woman moved behind a screen, flung the tweed jacket over the top, and slipped into the clothes. As she dressed, Amy lowered herself into the seat the woman previously occupied, her mind racing. How did that woman know what she was going to find before she found it? And what did she mean by 'I'm going to become very fond of it one day?' How did she get into the TARDIS in the first place? And what was with the way she spoke?

"Amelia," the woman called, "go to the console room and stop them before they do."

Silently, Amy left the room and the strange woman, walked down the corridor, and found herself in the console room. As if the woman could see them from the closet, the Doctor and Rory were pacing back and forth around the tower, almost bumping into one another with each revolution. The Doctor was muttering to himself about this woman while Rory wondered when his wife would return; neither of them noticed the ginger standing at the stop of the clear staircase.

"So," she started, pulling the boys out of their thoughts. Rory went to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. Amy leaned her head onto his shoulder. "Any idea who this woman is? Or how she even got onto the TARDIS?" Rory shrugged.

And, of course, the Doctor answered. "Yes, three."

"Only three?" a fourth voice asked from the top of the steps. The woman stood there, dressed the clothes Amy had picked for her and a too-large leather jacket that reached her fingertips when her arms rested at her sides; the Doctor's tweed jacket hung over her arm. She sauntered down the stairs and moved closer to the Doctor until he was leaning against the console. Her eyes drank in his every feature, and her blatant stare made him feel uncomfortable. "You've lost your edge... or you're _losing_ it. You _will lose_ it? I was rubbish at tenses. I've lost my edges too. Now, I'm all curvy, but not by much." Stepping away from him, she rubbed her hands up and down her side, giggling. "This tickled."

"Tickles," Rory corrected. Her gaze snapped over to him, and a large smile formed on her face. "Hello, I'm Rory Williams."

"Hello, Rory Williams," she turned her eyes upon the red head, "Amelia Pond." Finally, her eyes found the Doctor's. "Doctor. I know you very well, since you asked."

"When do I ask that?"

She bit her lip. "Or you _were _going to ask that. I guess answering before hearing the question is not the proper way to do it." The Doctor nodded. Suddenly, as if just remembering that she still possessed it, she thrust the jacket at him. "I believe this is yours. Thank you for letting me use them."

"Them?" Amy and Rory asked.

The woman opened her mouth to reply, but the Doctor beat her to it. "Yes, 'them.' This jacket is mine-" He shrugged into his tweed jacket and brushed off imaginary dust from the sleeves. ",-and that one is as well. It belonged to my Ninth regeneration. Never went anywhere without it, nor did I let anyone else wear it. I was rather fond of that jacket." He looked pointedly at the woman, but she paid him no attention, wrapping and unwrapping the jacket around her torso.

"I will be, as well."

Another silence, but this one was more confused. The woman danced around the room, her hands touching everything she could while Amy and Rory watched her in bewildered wonder. The Doctor's eyes followed her rapid movements, and his mind raced: who, or what, was this woman?

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed yet, Doctor," she said. "Who I am, in case you were wondering what I was talking about. Then again, it's all in your head so I suppose you were wondering about it. Just not in the way most people think. Use that large, wonderful brain of yours and figure out who I am. If you really thought about it, it wouldn't be that hard. Did I get that right? I hated verbs sometimes." She skipped over to the Doctor and put her face inches from his; he did not move away. "Come on, Doctor. Impress a girl."

"You said you hated verbs?" She nodded. "Not 'hate.' Hated. You did the same thing when you say you were rubbish at tenses. You're speaking in the past tense. But why?"

"Who are you?" Rory spat out at last. He was tired with this confusing woman - the Doctor did not even know who she was! - and wanted a straight answer. "I don't mean to be rude, but I just want to know who you are and if you're a threat." His arm tightened around his wife. "Answer me, please."

Not looking away from the Doctor, she replied, "I don't know yet. I will one day, and I think that day is today. What day _is_ today?" She flounced from the Doctor and to the console, pulling a screen in front of her. "November 2012 in Cardiff. Will we go say hello?" With a spring in her step, she returned to the Doctor's side, laced her arm with his, and flashed him a large grin. "Please, can we go? I have never been outside before. Well, not in this form. Oh, and he'll figure it out in a moment or two." This last comment was directed to Amy and Rory, who grew more bewildered as time wore on.

"OF COURSE!" the Doctor suddenly shouted. He turned towards the woman. "The TARDIS! You're the TARDIS!"

"Not exactly, but you're mostly right," she responded. "Keep trying, Doctor." Her attention, however, was focused on the front door of the machine. Looking at her eyes, the Doctor could see the same spark of excitement and adventure-seeking that most people usually saw in him. Her lips were curled up into a soft smile, and she probably did not even realize it. Her arm had dropped from his. Smiling himself, the Doctor laced his fingers with hers and began pulling her towards the door and the world beyond. "We're going outside? Thank you, Doctor!" She pulled him down and back, pressed a kiss on his cheek, and giggled when his face turned as red as a tomato.

"Well," he cleared his throat, "no problem,... What do I call you? Please, don't say 'Sexy.'"

"Why don't you three come up with a name for me?" The four stepped out of the time machine into the bright light of the afternoon sun, a pleasant and rare sight in the middle of November. Upon feeling the sunlight on her face, the woman raced forward, threw her arms out, and spun around, laughing. "Is this how the sun always feels?" she asked once she returned to the Doctor's side. "It's wonderful. Why do you ever stay inside that stuffy, old phone box when you have _the sun_?"

"Oi! Don't call yourself that!" he snapped back playfully. "You're neither stuffy, nor old."

"You're still partially wrong!" she sang. "I was not entirely the TARDIS, but I'll be merciful: Sexy was my mom, so to speak. I was a child of the TARDIS." He smiled at her tense confusions, finding it strangely adorable. "Oh! Can I be called 'Sexy Jr.?'"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

The two humans grinned at the other two's interaction. At the sight of the woman's pout, the Doctor had rolled his eyes and wrapped one of his arms around her own. Leading the humans away from the recharging time machine, they paid no attention to the couple strolling behind them, instead trying to create a new name for the self-proclaimed 'child of the TARDIS.' Amy leaned closer to her husband and asked, "Rory, aren't they just perfect together? Look at how close they are." Rory, who had been staring lovingly at his wife since they left the time machine, jumped and transferred his gaze towards the Doctor and his new friend: she was shaking her head, and the Doctor was throwing out, in alphabetical order, all the names he knew. He was currently on the C's with 'Cameron.'

"They just met," he replied. "How could they be 'perfect together' when they haven't even known each other for an hour?"

"Woman's intuition, Rory." They glanced sideways at each other before placing a kiss on one another's lips.

The Doctor continued with his fruitless search for the perfect name. "Evangeline! Evelyn!" She shook her head, and he groaned, throwing his arms into the air. "That's it! I'm done. You pick your own name." He strode ahead of her, but she quickly caught up to him and latched onto him like a child with their parent.

The four continued their stroll. Just as they passed a side alley, a large, blue blur exploded from the alley and crashed into the woman, knocking her into the Doctor, and knocking them both down onto the sidewalk, her sitting on the Doctor's lap. She scrambled off of him, her face pink, before reaching down and pulling the Doctor to his feet and patting the dirt from his jacket. Neither of them realized that the man who had run into them was still there, looking the ginger up and down.

Finally, he leaned over and, with a charming smile, said, "Hi, Captain Jack Harkness."

"Stop it, Jack" the Doctor warned. Jack turned towards the floppy-haired, bowtie wearing man and raised an eyebrow.

"And you are?"

"Don't answer that!" the woman beside him shouted, clapping a hand over the Doctor's mouth. "It'll come to him soon enough. Did I get that right?" Without waiting for an answer, she smiled at the captain. "It's nice to see you again, Captain Harkness. Though, no doubt, you do not remember me; then again, I'm not all of me, just a part. So maybe you remember the whole of me I came from...? This is terribly confusing." Her eyes found the Doctor once again. "How do you manage to keep everything straight? And I think having you as my pilot was difficult to handle."

"Thought," corrected floppy-hair as he pried her hand from his lips. "It's not 'think.'"

"Pilot?" Jack asked. The woman counted down on her fingers from five to one. "Doctor!" The captain wrapped his arms around the skinnier man and hoisted him off the ground, forcing the breath from his lungs. The woman's amused laughter trickled into his ears. "You look great, and as scrawny as ever! But what's with the bowtie?" When he dropped him, the Doctor leaned his hands on his knees and inhaled deeply.

"Bowties," he gasped, "are cool."

"Indeed, they are." Helping the Doctor stand straight, the woman adjusted his bowtie. "Very cool."

"And who are the three with you?" Jack's eyes found Amy's curvy frame, long legs, and mini-skirt once more. Rory, noticing the other man's intent gaze, pulled his wife behind him. The captain did not miss their intertwined hands or the glint of light off of the golden bands around their ring fingers. "Married ones?"

"Amy, Rory - Captain Jack Harkness," introduced the Doctor, deliberately keeping the unnamed woman out of it. "Jack - Amy and Rory Pond."

"Williams." But Rory smiled at the mistake.

"Nice to meet you both." After realizing that the ginger was taken, Jack was much more civil and gentlemanly towards the couple, which Rory noticed immediately; he reluctantly let his guard down and allowed his wife to stop out from behind him. The sudden snap of leather captured the captain's attention, and Jack glanced back at the first woman who smiled at him as if they were old friends. According to her, they were, but Jack could not remember her face. So, he did was he usually did with men/women/aliens he did not know.

"Hi, Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?"

"I'm not sure yet. Would you like to help me find out?"

"Uh... sure?" She jumped to the captain's side and grabbed his hand. Jack looked back at the Doctor, who merely shrugged, as the woman pulled him towards the chip shop across the road, the other three in their wake. Aggravated drivers screeched to sudden stops and honked angrily at the five, but they woman did not even spare them a single glance. Jogging forward, Jack came up beside her and wrapped as arm around the woman's shoulders. Grinning up at him, she stated, "Also, Jack, do not try to swallow while I'm talking; in fact, just leave it on the table. Amy really loved that red shirt and her jacket, and she will be very cross with you if you ruin it. Although, the purple looked lovely on her as well... or was it indigo? I can never seem to remember, but I will."

"Has anyone told you that you're very strange?"

The five entered chip shop, found a booth near the back, and hastily occupied it, with the woman sitting in between Jack and the Doctor, before ordering. She leaned her head against the latter's shoulder. The Doctor took on a rosy hue, and Amy smirked knowingly at her husband. Faster than they thought, their chips and drinks were placed between them on the table.

"So, Doc," Jack began, "who's the pixie?" He raised his drink to his lips, but the woman on his left grabbed his wrist in a grip as strong as iron and forced his hand back onto the table. Jack tried, unsuccessfully, to extricate his arm from hers. She remained firm, and she was not even paying attention!

"Pixie?" the woman inquired. "Am I a pixie? I thought I was part of the TARDIS."

Jack's hands stopped. If he had been drinking anything, he would have spit it out all over-... "Oh."

"I knew you'd understand, Captain Harkness." She released his arm, allowing him to take a sip of his drink. But he was so astonished by the TARDIS child that his soda pop remained untouched. As she conversed with the Time Lord and his two human companions, Jack reached over and gently prodded her cheek, growing even more surprise by the feel of real flesh beneath his finger. Her words suddenly cut off. "Jack, was there a reason for poking my cheek?"

"Nope." He rested his hand along the back of the booth, and his fingers gently brushed against her shoulder. "Not at all." Smiling flirtatiously at the woman, Jack ran the pads of his fingers along her cheekbones, relishing in the pink blossoming under her fair skin. "So you said something about finding a name, doll?"

"Yes, I will." She and Jack went off on a string of names and why she did not like them while the Doctor glared at the 51st century man over her head. His hands, which rested on the table, were clenched into fists; the knuckles were white beneath the taut skin. Noticing his obvious frustration, Amy reached over and gently relaxed his hands. The alien glanced up, the anger faded from his eyes, and he smiled at his dear, ginger friend before the woman shuffled closer to him and nudged her arm against his, asking, "Doctor, how does Avalon sound? Jack thinks it sounds lovely, but I wanted to know what you think."

"Too dramatic," Rory replied. "And it's '_want_ to know what you think' or 'wanted to know what you _thought._'"

"This grammar thing is rubbish!" She flopped back against the Doctor. "Well, how about-" A piercing scream from outside cut her off. "What was that?"

Without answering, the Doctor jumped from his seat, vaulted over the table, and rushed out the door, sonic screwdriver in hand. The still unnamed TARDIS child was quick to follow him, with Jack next and the Ponds last.

They ran down the street towards the scream; but, when they arrived at the alley (in fact, it was the very one where they ran into Captain Jack), there was nothing there. The Doctor flicked on his sonic, scanning the brick walls, the litter-strewn ground, and anything that could disguise an extremely dangerous alien. Jack, ever the soldier, unsheathed a blaster, release the safety, and kept his finger on the trigger as they advanced further into the alley. Amy and Rory stood by the man from the future, but the other woman skipped forward to kneel next to the Doctor as he knelt by a rubbish bin.

"Anything?"

"Not really. But whatever was here is big... and dangerous."

She sighed. "She said this was going to be calm trip. Sexy lied."

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**I can totally picture seeing Wakko and Yakko saying, "Hellooooo, Harkness." If I had any artistic abilities whatsoever, I would draw a picture of that and post it for all to see. Oh well...**

**Hope you enjoyed Chapter One!**


	3. Who Are You? 2

**You should already know that I do not own anything pertaining to Doctor Who (Well, I _do_ have a shirt that says 'Bowties Are Cool,' but that's another story entirely). I only own the currently unnamed TARDIS woman. If you have any ideas for her name, review and let me know! I think I have one, but I would like to hear what you guys think her name should be and how it should be introduced. Though, I have an idea for that as well.**

**No matter how I tried, I could not get this chapter to flow like I wanted to. So I gave up; I hope this chapter is not as bad as I think it is.**

**Without further ado, Chapter Two!**

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With Jack running off to tell his teammates of their new foe, the Doctor, Amy and Rory sat on perpendicular couches in the Torchwood headquarters, cups of tea in the humans' hands, while their newest companion flitted from one invention to the next in the room; at Jack' request, she kept her hands clasped behind her back, looking but not touching anything. Amy noticed with some amusement that the Doctor's eyes followed the girl's every move, but he appeared not to realize it himself. The sonic shifted from one hand to the other, something she realized the Time Lord did when he was nervous. With a mysterious enemy on the loose, he had every right to be. On the small table in front of them, his tea remained untouched and grew colder with each passing second.

"Was this a Brainwave Transmitter?" the woman asked no one in particular, her eyes probing and prodding the device. It looked like an upside-down metal bowl, with wires protruding from it and connecting to a massive, metal tower behind it. She circled the structure, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Human mind readers - not for a few thousand years, though and very few when it _did _happen." Satisfied with her find, she moved on to the next contraption, her walk a bouncing gait. "It's a shame they will not last longer than a few centuries. Oh, I met a lovely one on the planet of..." her voice trailed off into a muffled silence.

"She's about as curious as you are, Doctor," commented Rory. The Doctor '_hmm_-ed' in response. "Maybe even as smart. I mean, she _has_ been travelling with him for the past nine hundred to a thousand years. Who knows what she has seen in that time? Or what she's learned? She may even be smarter than him!"

"Remember, Rory," the woman called from somewhere deep within the base, "I was trapped in the TARDIS as Sexy, just a fraction of the whole machine you know and love; don't you dare deny it, Rory Williams, for I could see how much you worry and care-... _worried _and _cared_ for her when facing House on the outside of the universe, and I thank you for that. Also, I only know as much as the Doctor knows." She skipped back towards the trio, tapped her head, and stated clearly, "Psychic connection. I have read his thoughts, and he knows nothing of mine!" She giggled behind her hands. "Unless I allow him to, of course. That will drive him mad."

"It already has," the Doctor mumbled beneath his breath, but it was hard to be frustrated when she spoke like she did, messing up the verb tenses before correcting herself. The woman laughed aloud before swooping down on him like a hawk, kissing his cheek, and spinning off to examine more of Torchwood's collection of alien technology, leaving a flushed Doctor behind. Amy '_aww_-ed' at the sight of his pink face.

"She's so sweet, Doctor."

"And peculiar," Amy's husband added. At the Doctor's cold stare, he hastily added, "But in a good way. Why are you so defensive of her anyways? You've only known her-" Rory glanced down at the digital watch strapped around his wrist. "-for an hour and a half."

"Wrong!" the woman sang, her voice echoing throughout the room.

"I've been with the TARDIS for most of my life," the Doctor explained. "She, whoever she is, was part of the TARDIS. I'm not going to pretend to know why or how my TARDIS made a leaving, breathing human out of nothing, and yet is still fully functional herself." He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and his voice dropped into a whisper. "You saw what happened to Idris; the TARDIS Matrix _destroyed_ her. By all means, that woman shouldn't exist, and I want to make sure that what happened to Idris does not happen to her. She needs to be protected. My question, though, is how is she alive?"

"Listen to yourself," the woman quipped. Everyone jumped at the sound of her voice; no one had heard her approach, her footsteps were so silent. "For such an intelligent man, you are remarkably ignorant, Doctor. Have you heard not a word I said?" Her words were not condemning but inquisitive. Vaulting over the couch, she landed next to the Doctor and rapidly shifted as far from him as she could. Her arms rested along the back.

"So you know the answer?"

"Of course! Idris, the poor woman, died because the entirety of the TARDIS Matrix was forced into her body, something not even a Time Lord could handle. As for _how _I was created, Sexy takes - took? - part of herself and form_ed_ a human body. She possesses enough DNA from your past companions and regenerations to create a single human; so I'm part of you as well, Doctor, but let's not get into technicalities or we'd be talking about this for ages. Not to mention how awkward it'll become later. Just know that she put enough of herself in me to keep me alive, but most of her is in the machine so that it can continue to run, and I can live comfortably without perishing. Now, _why_ she created me was-" She was about to reply, when Jack jumped over the couch and landed on her legs, his feet on the Doctor's thigh. "Hello, Captain Harkness. Have you discovered anything about our deadly friend?"

"Yes, and you're not going to like it one bit." He paused. "It's a Chimera."

"And that is...?" Amy questioned.

"A Chimera," the woman replied. Her hands had landed on the captain's stomach, and her fingers tapped a gentle beat on the buttons, "was a human whose deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, has been spliced with that of an alien's in an effort to create super soldier, but that's very dangerous to do. It was only by chance that the procedure succeeds, and a complacent yet powerful human-alien hybrid is formed. Most of the time, however, it results in a monster. This is what we're up against... no pressure!" She chuckled at the worried expressions on Amy's and Rory's face.

"Just a monster that could potentially kill us," squeaked Rory. "Of _course, _there isn't any pressure."

"You were thrown into deadly situations on almost a daily basis, Rory Williams. I think you have been used to it by now. No, I _thought _you _would_ have been used to it by now," she responded. "Prisoner Zero, the Atraxi, Vampires in Venice, the Dream Lord and his separate realities, Silurians, Daleks, Cybermen, the end of the universe, almost crashing in a failing spaceship, the Silence, a siren - when you and your wife started travelling with the Doctor, you became magnets for trouble."

"Great."

"So," Amy added, "how do we stop a Chimera?"

"I'll take this one, babe," Jack cut in, gently patting the woman's cheek. In anger, the Doctor nearly pushed the 'good' captain off the couch. The Time Lord wanted nothing more than to force the captain away from the TARDIS child, _his _TARDIS, pull the woman into his side, and never let her go. He looked sideways at her momentarily. To the untrained eye, she appeared very comfortable with the captain on her lap, but the Doctor could see her rigid back and the forced smile; she was as uncomfortable around Jack as he was jealous. Reaching over, the Doctor took one of her hands in his and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. When her eyes wrinkled at the corners, he could not help but return the grin.

"Ianto, Gwen, and I," continued Captain Harkness, "have been following this specific Chimera for a while in the hopes of catching it, to no avail. So, instead, we made a concoction that is sure to dispose of the creature whenever we happen to cross paths again. It can cut through just about anything: metal, wood, plastic, a car. Don't ask me how I know that last one." The woman nodded, her eyes staring unseeingly at the opposite wall. Jack snapped in her face. "Pixie, you alright?"

"Fine," she answered quickly. A bit too quickly for the Doctor's liking. He noticed with some confusion (_not many people can do that, _the Doctor thought) that her free hand had stilled, and little trembles were coursing through it. The hand in his grip had gone cold and clammy, and her skin had grown pale.

Leaning back but never removing his eyes from her, the Doctor tried to force his way into her mind, to feel the warmth of another's and to uncover her deepest thoughts. However, what he found was a large, impenetrable barrier in the form of a pair of wooden, blue double doors. A familiar white sign hung from the doors, and he skimmed over the words, already having them memorized from many years of time travel: POLICE TELEPHONE. FREE FOR USE OF PUBLIC. ADVICE AND ASSITANCE OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY. OFFICER AND CARS RESPOND TO ALL CALLS. PULL TO OPEN. After his meeting with Idris, he took very close care of that sign, following every order.

Huffing, he retracted from her mind and jumped when the Doctor found green eyes staring at him intently; _Why? _seemed to ask. But there was something else there, something deeper than wondering. He tried to read what she was conveying to him and failed. The woman tilted her head to the side, a playful smile curling her lips.

"So how are we going to stop this thing?" Rory asked, popping the intimate bubble surrounding the Doctor and the woman. He turned his attention hack towards the human, who had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife's waist. "I don't think jumping into its lair and shouting, 'Look at me! I'm a target!' is the best idea." Rory stared at the Doctor; once he and Amy had married, she did not hesitate in telling him everything that he had missed while dead. He found that particular moment amusing and angering at the same time.

"Maybe we could," the woman mused, so low that no one could hear her.

The captain spoke over her. "This is the easy part. Thanks to the sonic, we were able to discover a bit more about it's lair, narrowing it down to two different places. One happens to be near that alley we met in, and I have a strong feeling that that is the place. So we go in or lure it out, and one of use distracts it while the other uses the mixture on it. But we'd have to go during the night. That's when it is most active and easier to find. Simple. Any more questions?"

"Just one," Amy added. "Exactly how _big _is this thing? What does it look like?"

"That is two, Amelia," the woman responded. "And to answer your questions, it was about the size of an average adult male only with certain alien features, such as scales, wings, horns, anything not of this planet nor human in origin. He possessed superhuman strength and speed; I only knew - no, _know_ - this because the weak and the slow would not be allowed to live. Although Captain Harkness makes it sound simple, it was -IS - not. Depending on the alien whose DNA it has, the Chimera could have a taste for human flesh, which is why I suggest that you and Rory stay in the TARDIS and wait for the Doctor. We would be devastated if anything happened to you two when we could have stopped it."

Everyone fell silent. They had not expected such a speech from the woman, and hearing her say so much shocked them into silence. Jack was surprised simply by the sheer number of words; when they had met, he thought she was queer but quiet, and the unwavering loyalty in her voice astounded him. Amy and Rory were silent because they could not find anything to say. The Doctor cared for them, but they never thought this woman, who they had just met, would form such a connection to them in such a short amount of time. With the Doctor, the pride coursing through him kept him silent, but he could not wipe the large grin from his face.

_I bloody love this woman! _he thought.

"W-wow," stuttered Rory. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Rory."

It may have been because her limited, human mind, but she felt a closer connection to the male nurse than she did to the ginger, despite the fact that Amelia had been the first person to help her. She remembered being a part of the TARDIS and watching Rory constantly battle the naïve Doctor for his love's affection, always afraid that he would lose Amy forever to the Time Lord. Despite Amy picking the Doctor over him the night before their wedding, he remained vigilant by her side, even for two thousand years, and he received the greatest blessing in the end: Amy's hand in marriage. The wedding had been beautiful, or so it was from Rory's point of view. She had only seen Amy and Rory momentarily in their wedding garb before the Doctor parked her out in the garden. She could not have been happier than when Mr. and Mrs. Williams (or Pond, as the Doctor and Amy insist) continued their travelling with the Doctor. He needed someone at all times, and having two companions was always better than having one. However, Rory would always have a special place in her heart, or hearts.

She had not bothered to check which one it was yet.

"So we are just going to wait until nightfall to catch this thing?" Amy asked.

"Yup," said Jack, deliberately popping the 'p.' Gently stroking the woman's chin with his thumb and pointer finger, Jack rolled off her legs and onto the floor before jumping to his feet, stretching his arm over his head. "I'm going to check on Gwen and Ianto. Get settled, find something to pass the time, make sure Pixie doesn't touch anything - be ready to go at nightfall!" He jugged off, coattail flying behind him and disappearing around the corner, leaving the four alone. Smiling, she moved closer to the Doctor and leaned against him. All this time, their hands remained linked.

"What are we going to do until this evening?" she questioned. No one had an answer, but the reply rapidly came to her mind. "Oh! Can you three tell me some stories of your travels?"

"Don't you know them all already? You can read my mind," the Doctor commented.

"I do, but I want to hear you tell them. Stories are so much better when you can associate someone's voice with them." Resting her head on his shoulder, her green eyes slid shut. She felt so comfortable and safe around him, and he was so _warm, _like the sun. "It gives them more life, more meaning. Especially if it's has something to do with someone you care deeply about." She looked up at the Doctor. "Did I get it right this time, Doctor?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice to relay his thoughts, and there were many of them.

Rory, however, had no problem with it. "You're getting better at that. Speaking properly, I mean. How are you learning so quickly?"

"When you're as old as I am, Rory, you develop the ability to quickly grasp concepts, even one as rubbish as grammar." They all laughed. "So how about those stories? Let's start with Amelia." She closed her eyes again, preparing to devote all of her mind on the lilting accent of the Scottish woman and the fluctuations in her voice.

"Um, alright. What do you want to know?"

"How about the twelve years after your first meeting with the Doctor? I want to know _everything_."

Amy started. She did not anticipate the woman asking for that story in particular. "Well, since we're going to be here for a few hours, I think I can start it." She cleared her throat. "The Doctor promised to be back after five minutes, and then he vanished in his TARDIS. Once he had gone, I ran up to my room, packed a suitcase, and dragged it back out into the yard, fully intent on waiting throughout the entire night for him; and let me tell you, it was freezing. The next morning, when she finally returned, my aunt found me sleeping in the back, using the suitcase as a pillow. She carried me up to my room. When I finally woke up, I spent that morning and the rest of the week trying to convince her that he was real, that mad man with a box..."

_Indeed he is, _the woman thought as she listened to the beating of the Doctor's twin hearts through his shoulder. _The brilliant, wonderful, mad man with a box._

* * *

**That was Chapter Two! Hope you enjoyed it.**


	4. Who Are You? 3

**After this chapter (which happened to be my favorite to write, thus far), we will start moving into the Doctor Who plotline, which I am extremely excited for. I hope I can do the episodes justice. But we shall see once we get there. Also, I would like to give a HUGE thanks to all those who reviewed. You guys are the greatest :)**

**We finally get to introduce the woman's name. As much as I love Irene Adler, I'm getting tired of referring to my character as 'The Woman.'**

**Do I need to say more? Not me. Onto Chapter Three!**

* * *

Night had fallen, and the five crept from the Torchwood Institute. The streets were quieter than the Doctor ever remembered them being, and that sent a chill racing up and down his spine. His hand groped for the woman's in the darkness. When he felt her slim fingers wrap around his, he felt his fear and worries ebbing away. The woman just had that way with him. If he was nervous, all she had to do was smile or simply look in his direction, and he would find himself much calmer. Much like when he worked on the TARDIS or stroked the console, it put his mind at peace. So, with a gentle, unseen smile, he grasped her hand more tightly.

Speaking of the TARDIS, they took a short detour to drop off Amy and Rory. Just as the three were about to leave, he turned upon the woman, and his hands clamped down on her shoulders. With her green eyes looking curiously at him, he almost regretted saying, "I want you to stay with them."

"Why?"

He did not - could not - tell her any of the thoughts that raced through his mind: how he did not want her to get hurt, how he could not see someone so free and delicate battling a vicious creature, how he would never be able to forgive himself if she was injured... or worse. As part of the TARDIS, the Doctor found himself caring for her more than he cared for anyone, but he would not let her know that. So instead, he smiled softly. "You trust me, right?" She nodded. "Then trust me. I'm doing the right thing."

"For you or for me, Doctor?"

Before he could ask her to elaborate, Jack's voice called back to him. "Doctor, we need to go now!"

Leaning down towards her, the Doctor placed a kiss to her forehead. "Stay with the Ponds. Stay safe. For me, _please_." His eyes scanned her face, drinking in every detail before rushing off. He knew that, if HE were injured or worse, she would be able to fly the Ponds to safety. Never in his life did he entrust the TARDIS to another; he hoped she could take care of it as it has taken care of him.

In the TARDIS, Amy and Rory were leaning against the console, their sides pressed to the other's. They spoke in hushed tones, which immediately cut off when the doors closed and the woman stood inside the machine with them. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, and she looked even smaller than normal, swimming in a sea of black leather. Her eyes stared into the distance while her mouth moved without sound, sporadically nodding. When Rory was about to break her out of her thoughts, she suddenly returned to the present, skipped up the stairs towards the console, and sat upon the railing. She just smiled at the humans, swinging her feet back and forth.

"Do you think he is going to be alright? The Doctor, I mean." The woman smiled at Rory's deliberate attempt to forget Captain Jack Harkness. The man proved that he would not be going after Amy, but Rory remained as protective as his wife as ever. Even now, his arm was wound firmly around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"Of course," the ginger responded. "He's the Doctor."

"But that does not mean he is safe from that Chimera. If anything, he is in even more danger because he does not have you or Rory with him." The woman's smile faded as her mind conjured up an the image of a bloody and broken Doctor, surrounded in the golden-orange mist of regeneration energy. Her frown deepened when the mental picture refused to be expelled from her mind. She slid slowly from the rail, but her hand continued to cling to it as if it were the only thing keeping her rooted to the floor.

_I don't want to see this again. _But, of course, the vision of the possible future paid her wishes no attention.

The picture continued playing as her own personal movie. In the background, she could hear Jack fighting with the Chimera; it had swiped the concoction from his hand, slashed his front, and smacked him across the room, where he hit the wall before falling to the ground. He did not move after that, and blood pooled beneath his body. As for the Doctor, the regeneration had come upon him. His dark, floppy hair shortened until just brushing the top of his ears, and the color faded from brown to a vibrant red. After shrinking a few inches, his eyes opened and revealed a pale blue. He pushed himself into a sitting position and reached for his sonic, just long enough for the Chimera to pounce on him and-

"_NO!_" The woman ran to the TARDIS and pounded on the wood, but it refused to open. "Let me out! He needs help!"

"What's wrong?" Rory asked the woman.

"He needs help!" Her fists pounded on the wood, and her voice lowered to a frantic whisper as she spoke directly to the machine. "If you don't release me, he'll die. Then where will we be? We would be left to wither away, forever mourning his death. LET. ME. OUT!" The doors opened with one final hit, and she stumbled out into the darkness, the humans shouting after her. She ran faster than either of them expected for, when they rushed out of the time machine, the shadows had swallowed her up. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Rory shouted, only to hear his echo answer.

The cool, crisp night air bit at her skin and pierced her shirt, wrapping her torso in its icy embrace and causing goose bumps to rise on her arms, collarbone, and neck. But she kept running, her feet slapping against the pavement. Sliding around a corner, scrambling as she nearly lost her balance, she found herself running into a freezing, but silent, warehouse; there were doors that led to other unknown rooms, and she had no idea where to start. As she wrapped her jacket around her body, contemplating her next move, she exhaled, and her breath came out as a cloud of vapor. She had never seen anything quite like it. The image of the regenerating Doctor fled her mind for a second as she continued puffing into the air, barely stifling a giggle with each pale cloud her breath formed.

But there was a sudden 'THUD,' and Jack came flying through a door and rolled through the splinters along the floor, coming to a stop near her feet facedown. Kneeling by the captain, she gently rolled him over. His eyes were closed, and she would have thought he were sleeping if his face had not been sprinkled with blood. The mixture, a dark red solution in a vial, was protected from shattering by his hand. She reached over and carefully extracted the glass vial from his hand. As her other hand pressed against his chest, she frowned at the lack of heartbeat. Patting his chest, the woman pushed herself to his feet.

"Wait for the opportune moment, Jack." With one final smile, she sprinted through the door that the captain just came from. The sight beyond would have caused her to laugh, but the thought of the Doctor in peril kept her mouth shut.

Said Time Lord was hanging from a chain hanging from a hook that was welded to the ceiling, his sonic screwdriver pointed and buzzing at the creature on the ground. The creature itself was horrifying, though she could only see its back. A large, scaled tail scraped the ground behind him, swaying this way and that as if it had a mind of its own. In the moonlight shining through the high windows, the scales were a sickly green-yellow, and blood welled up on scratches that ran the length of its entire body. Its arms were muscular, and his hands had been transformed into wicked, gleaming claws that dripped with venom. She could hear the concrete hissing as the poison stuck, a malodorous smell invading her nose; she tucked the bottom half of her face into the neckline of her shirt. Its talons were as white as snow and as sharp as razors. He wore nothing bot a ragged pair of pants, leaving his scaled back bare for her to examine. That, too, rippled with muscle, and she had no doubt that he could rip the Doctor apart with his hands.

The Time Lord suddenly slipped, dropping his sonic screwdriver. It bounced harmlessly off the Chimera.

She knew she had to do something, or it would spell the official end of the Time Lords. "What was it that Rory said?" Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to go back to the Torchwood visit. Jack had jumped into her lap; the Doctor had grabbed her hand; they spoke about the Chimera and how to get rid of it. But what did Rory say?

"'I don't think jumping into its lair and shouting, '_Look at me! I'm a target!' _is the best idea,'" she muttered beneath her breath, trying not to chuckle at how _Doctor_ it was. Anyways, she had already jumped into its lair, more or less. All that left was...

"LOOK AT ME!" she shouted as loud as she could, drawing the Doctor's and the creature's attention. "I'M A TARGET!"

"What are you doing?" The Doctor began scrambling down the chain as the Chimera slowly advanced on the woman, his tail trailing after him. The creature's forked, navy blue tongue ran over its pointed teeth, and she suddenly wondered if her idea was as smart as it sounded in her head. Despite her doubts, she stood her ground, her fingers inconspicuously uncorking the vial. Some of the liquid landed on her jacket sleeve, and the leather fizzled away accompanied by a rancid odor. "Get out of here!"

Never removing her eyes from the Chimera, she said, "I don't think that that's an option now." The woman slowly moved backwards towards the main room, where she somehow knew Jack was waiting for her and the monster. As she stepped from the room, she called back to the Chimera, "You may want to step back, Doctor."

Still hanging from his perch on the chain, he lifted an eyebrow. _Must be something from the future, _the Doctor assumed. His eyes never moved from the woman as she continued guiding the beast through the door. Once she had vanished from his sight, the Chimera launched himself at her with a snarl. There was a roar, a scream from her that caused his hearts to stop, and then a shout of "Look out!" followed by the sound of metal hitting flesh and flesh hitting stone.

For as long as he lived, he would never remember how quickly he scrambled down the chain and rushed back to the main room, leaving his sonic screwdriver flashing and buzzing on the ground. The Doctor leapt over the Chimera's prone body and stumbled into the room. He found Jack grinning like the man mad he was, two broken halves of a metal bar swinging in his grip. The woman, though white as a ghost, was giggling, and her body trembled as adrenaline coursed through her veins. He slowly removed the vial from her hand when he reached, corked it, and passed the mixture to Jack before gathering the woman into his arms and pressing his cheek against the top of her head. He smiled into her dark, spiked hair when she felt her arms wrap around his waist, clasping at his back.

"What were you thinking?" asked the Doctor when she pulled away. "I told you to stay in the TARDIS."

"Technically," she countered, "you told me to stay with the Ponds."

"Are the Ponds here?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you with them?!" She could not answer, Ashamed, her eyes were cast downward towards her hands. She head the Doctor sigh before he said, in a much gentler voice, "I'm sorry, but you need to get back to the TARDIS. It's not safe for you here."

"Or you." The two children of time stared into one another's eyes for a moment, each trying to read the other. The world melted away around them: the icy cold warehouse, the wind blowing through the windows causing chains to clatter, the sound of Jack trying to penetrate their bubble, the Chimera slowly rousing from unconsciousness. The Doctor was suddenly away of how warm her arms were around him; that warmth spread up his spine, into his neck, and lightly colored his cheeks. She smiled before saying, "You may be the last of the Time Lords, resilient and persistent. But you certainly are not invincible."

The captain cleared his throat. "Don't mean to interrupt the love, but you may want to-" He did not get to finish as the Chimera pounced, knocking the captain to the ground. The vial flew out of his hand, and it would have shattered on the ground if the woman had not known it would happen. With lightning speed, she pulled herself from the Doctor's grasp and flew to catch it. Grinning victoriously, she jumped to her feet, only for her to blanch when she realized that Jack was motionless on the ground once more, and the Chimera was staring right at her with burnt orange eyes. Her green ones flickered momentary to the metal bars near the captain's limp hands before returning to the monster. If only she could reach it...

"Duck!"

She threw herself to the ground and rolled out of the way just as the Chimera launched himself at her, the vial protected by her clenched fist. As she pushed herself to her feet, her free hand found one of the metal bars; its pointed edge reminded her of the Chimera's teeth. She turned the tip on the monster, like a sword, and the Chimera circled her on all fours like the beast it was. All the while, the Doctor stood off to the side, unsure of what to do for once.

_I've never felt so helpless before_, he realized. Now he knew what the hollow, painful feeling in his stomach was. _Why am I just standing here, sulking? Jack's out of commission for the moment, and she's fighting the Chimera when it should be me. She can't even reach the vial with that thing always watching her every move. If I had the sonic, I could resonate the glass to make it shatter, but then it's get on her. Who knows what would happen then? I can't risk hurting her._

"No!" she shouted, having an epiphany. She dodged the Chimera as it's forked tongue shot out of its mouth, wrapped around the bar, and snapped it in half. She stood in shock with two broken piece, small enough to fit in her hand, before throwing one away "Doctor, that was a brilliant idea! Get your sonic. Go."

"But-"

"GO!"

With a start, the Doctor sprinted from the room as fast as he could, blood pounding in his ears. His sonic continued to buzz beneath the chain, and he swept it up as quickly as he could. Pausing for a moment, he watched his hands tremble in wonderment. _That's never happened before. Interesting._

"Take your time, Doctor!" the woman shouted, her voice strained.

The Doctor returned to the main room to find the woman on her back, the quarter of the metal bar pressed into the Chimera's throat. Its jaws clamped just above her face, and spittle splattered onto her neck and cheeks. Her mouth was set into a tight grimace, but she did not scream or yell at the Chimera, conserving her energy for the nearly impossible task of keeping the creature at bay. The creature's talons were buried into her shoulders, and blood flowed from the wounds and onto the ground. At the sight of the stained concrete, the Doctor asked, "What do I do?"

"Wait for the signal."

"What signal?"

"You knew it when you saw it." The woman tucked her feet beneath the Chimera and kicked the monster away from her. Turning to the Doctor, she commanded, "Just get ready." He nodded, fiddling with the sonic until it was on the correct setting. The green light illuminated the worry in his eyes. "Ready, Doctor?"

"As I'll ever be." She smiled one last time before turning back to the Chimera, her face changing from encouraging to impassive in the blink of an eye. The bar and vial switched hands, and her right tightened around the glass. The Doctor noticed that her hands shook as well, and the dark red mixture sloshed around the walls. To him, it looked like blood, like the blood that oozed from her wounds and blended into the black sleeves of her leather jacket. She was as terrified as he is, and that sent something... odd coursing through his veins. It was not anger or sadness. He could not call it frustration. What was it? All he knew was that seeing her afraid was wrong; only a smile was worthy enough to be on her face.

But he could not ponder it any longer, for the Chimera, with a vicious snarl, knocked her to the ground. Just as his jaws were about to clamp around her throat, she thrust her hand with the bar into his mouth. The tips pressed against the roof of his mouth and his tongue, forcing his mouth open; his teeth scraped along her arm as she wrenched her hand out. The vial was pushed down his neck, and the Chimera swallowed. She managed to slip away and run to the Doctor's side as he tried to pull the bar from his mouth.

"Now would be good, Doctor."

Pointing the sonic at the monster, the Doctor resonated the glass within its stomach. The Chimera paused, and the two could see fear cross his eyes for a split second before the glass shatter. He writhed in unbearable pain as the toxin ate away at him from the inside out; a scream exploded from its throat. Clapping her hands over her ears, the woman hid her face in the Doctor's back. He watched the Chimera as it died; its convulsions relaxed until they were shudders and then until he was still. An unearthly silence fell over them, broken only by Jack groaning as he awoke.

"It is over?" the woman asked. He nodded, and she poked her head out. At the sight of the Chimera's body - its stomach had been shredded by the toxin, and half-dissolved organs spilled onto the ground -, she choked back a sob. "I want to back to the TARDIS. Please, let's go home." Reaching back, the Doctor took her hand.

* * *

"You're back!" Amy shouted when the TARDIS doors opened. The Doctor and the woman stood in the doorway, fingers laced together. The ginger threw herself bodily into the Doctor's arms, berating him about how 'stupid it was to go alone.' Rory, ever the calm one, pulled his wife from the Doctor, but Amy was not quite finished. She soon was latched onto the other woman. Amy was so happy to see her new female friend that her words died in her throat, and she just clung tightly to the woman.

"It's good to see you too, Amelia," the woman said as she gently patted Amy's back. Rory gently pried his wife away from the two and guided her from the console room, calling a good night back to the Doctor and the woman. Rory was thrilled that they were back, but he could see that they needed to be alone: to mend her jacket, to clean her wounds, and to talk about whatever haunted her gaze.

In a few minutes, she and the Doctor were sitting on the ground, leaning against the console. Her jacket and his had been thrown off to the side so the Doctor could patch up her superficial wounds. As he silently worked, her hands opened and closed into shaking fists; the shock was still evident on her pale face. She jumped when his hands covered hers, and green eyes immediately found blue. For a moment, the two did not move, relaxing in each other's presence. Slowly, the Doctor smiled, and she could not help but return it. Without looking away, she gently squeezed his fingers. He was about to leave her to her thoughts, fly the TARDIS elsewhere and then retire to his room, when she finally spoke in a quivering voice.

"I used to be so envious of your companions; they got to travel through time and space with you, directly involved in whatever happened. But now I see that it's terrifying. They face death nearly every second, and some do die for you. I thought this would be fun... Now, I'm not so sure." The Doctor scooted closer to her, a comforting presence, and she leaned against him. Their hands were intertwined on their knees. "I don't think I could kill almost every day. Does it get any easier?"

"The killing? No, it never does," he answered just as quietly. "You just get used to it."

"And after nine hundred years, I suppose you've gotten used to having blood on your hands."

He could not reply, tell her that she was oh so wrong. Instead, the Doctor said, "You've gotten better at talking properly. Language assimilation processor?"

"No." She was grateful for the subject change. Capable of reading his thoughts, she heard the cries of every creature he had ever slaughtered echoing in his mind. The chorus of the damned. And it sent a shiver up her spine. "I'm just a fast learner. Also, I figured out what I want my name to be. Actually, Mom figured it out." The TARDIS hummed at that name, and the woman by his side 'hmm'-ed in response.

"Really? What is it?"

"Tabitha."

The Doctor tested the name on his tongue a few times, and he found that he enjoyed saying it very much. "Tabitha, Tabitha, Tabitha. Taaaaabiiiiiiithaaaaa. TaBItha. Tabitha, Tabby, Tabs. I like it, Tabitha. It's perfect. Absolutely, positively, marvelously, perfect."


	5. The Rebel Flesh 1

**At last, we are going into the actual Doctor Who storylines, and I'm REALLY excited about this :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed, saying they liked the story/character/etc.; they make me smile. If you didn't like it, then I'm sorry, but I don't write to please you. I write because I love to. If all authors wrote to please the public, we would not have half of the books we have. Although, with a few of them, I wouldn't mind. I'm not going to say anymore on this because I know it'd lead to an argument.**

**Of course, I do not own anything that relates to Doctor Who.**

**I'll say nothing more. Onto (technically) Chapter Four!**

* * *

With the Doctor piloting the TARDIS and Amy and Rory playing darts, that left Tabitha sitting on the stairs, bobbing her head and tapping her hands on her thighs to the rhythm of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole." Her jacket, which Amy had happily mended after the Chimera incident, hung over the rail, leaving her in a violet V-neck and black, straight leg jeans tucked into knee-high boots. After their first adventure, Amy suggested she try something new with her outfit. Tabitha outright refused to remove her jacket and jeans, so all Amy could change were the shirt and the shoes. Tabitha happily wore V-necks, tank tops, and the occasional sweater. With shoes, she only wore boots and sneakers.

"46," she heard the ginger call. Her husband had just let his dart fly, and it landed on the board just beneath the wires; Rory seemed proud of it, until Amy called him out. "Rubbishy rubbishy rubbish." Tabitha laughed at how... _domestic _the two were, despite traveling in the TARDIS with the Doctor. Speaking of whom, Tabitha could see him unconsciously swaying to the music where he stood at the console, staring intently at a screen. She frowned as he suddenly stopped.

"Hello," Rory countered, "it's a double top."

Tabitha shook her head as Amy said, "Wrong side of the wire, mister."

"You're... red." Their words faded to the back of her mind as Tabitha sauntered over to the Doctor's side and rested her chin on his shoulder, and she could feel his twin hearts beating through his back. Other than a ghost of a smile, he made no indication that he realized she was there, his eyes glued to the screen as it flashed impossibly fast between 'POSITIVE' and 'NEGATIVE.' He had told her about the Silence and Amy possibly being pregnant, but not even the TARDIS, with the most advance technology in the universe, could discover the truth. Tabitha could feel her mother's frustration, and she reached over and stroked the console. The image slowed, until Tabitha could point out where the red 'NEGATIVE' ended and the blue 'POSITIVE' began.

The Doctor turned down the music until it was silent in the console room. "Who wants fish and chips?" Rory, turning from the dart board, raised his hand; Tabitha would have as well - she had never had fish and chips before - if the Doctor's worry was not so palpable. "I'll drop you both off. Take your time. Don't rush." He darted away from the screen, rushing around the console from one side to the other.

"Uh, and you?" asked Rory. "What are you and Tabs going to do?"

Tabitha smiled. Everyone on the TARDIS had a pet name for her. For Rory, it was Tabs; Amy called her Tabby or Tabby Cat. The Doctor was the only one who called her by her full name and nothing more. Ever since she told him, he took nearly every opportunity to say her name. Not that she minded.

He paused, said, "I have things to do. Things involving... other things," and returned to his scrambling, causing Tabitha to laugh. As if just realizing she was there, the Doctor turned to her. Unlike most times, his mouth was set into a grim line, and her smile fell into a frown. But he hastily moved to her side and kissed her forehead. The soft smile returned, just as he intended. "Tabitha, I want you to go with Amy and Rory. Stay safe, and let them show you around for a while. Become accustomed to human life: chips, jobs, and lots of telly. You'll have a blast!"

"No, I want to stay with you," she replied in a firm voice, "and do the other things."

"And if she stays," continued Amy as she linked her arm with her husband's, "so will we." The human couple joined the Doctor and Tabitha at the console, and the ginger reached out to add the TARDIS child to their chain. Tabitha smiled at her human companions. Leaning over, Amy whispered, "If he says no, you need to convince him. He can't go against all of us, but I'm sure he'd listen to you, Tabby Cat. The Doctor does everything you ask him. Just pout and flutter your eyelashes, and we'll all be on our way, doing whatever he's doing." Tabitha chuckled.

As Amy predicted, the Doctor said, "Nope."

Tabitha picked up where Amy left off. "Whatever you're doing, I'm sure Amelia and Rory would like to be a part of it. Personally, I would too, and you can't expect me to stay with the Williams whenever you go running off into the blue. It's doesn't work that way, especially after my first adventure." But he was not paying attention to her. His eyes were fixated on Amy. More importantly, her stomach, and Tabitha's gaze was quick to follow. Beneath her flannel shirt, Amy's stomach was relatively flat.

"What?" the ginger scoffed, pulling away from her husband and friend. A moment of tense silence passed. When the Doctor opened his mouth to reply, a klaxon blared, and the TARDIS began to buck about in the Time Vortex. Amy, with a shout, fell against the console while Rory slammed against the railing. His hand gripped the metals bars, struggling to remain upright. Tabitha was thrown back against the stairs, and she held on for her life by her fingertips; she could already feel a massive bruise forming on her lower back. The Doctor stumbled this way and that as he tried to get to the levers while at the same time trying not to fall as they continued their wilder-than-usual ride. "What's happening?"

"Solar tsunami!" the Doctor explained over the noise. "Came directly from your sun. A tidal wave of radiation. Big, big, BIG!" He reached across to flip a lever, but Tabitha beat him to it. His hand landing on hers, he nodded in gratitude. Tabitha grinned, which turned into a grimace as they hit a patch of severe turbulence in the storm.

Rory groaned. "Oh, Doctor, my tummy's going funny." He looked nearly ready to throw up the non-existent fish and chips residing in his stomach.

"Well, the gyros are dissipated! Target-tracking is out." He pulled another switch, but that did nothing. His eyes slid over the screen, and did a double take when he saw the TARDIS rapidly approaching his favorite blue and green planet full of his favorite species. "Assume the position."

Amy, with a scream, threw herself into one of the chairs, her hands over her head; Rory knelt upon the glass floor, covering his head as well. Still standing and horribly confused, Tabitha watched her human friends prepare for something. _Assume what position? What is the Doctor talking about? _She could not dwell on those thoughts much longer as the Doctor grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him, pulling Tabitha into his chest and pushing her against the console to steady to woman. They suddenly landed, and the Doctor and Tabitha stumbled but remained upright. Her heart, or hearts (she still had not gotten around to checking), pounded. This was the most fun she had ever had in years!

"Textbook landing," the Doctor murmured into her ear. "You alright, Tabitha?"

She spun around in his arms to face him, and their noses brushed together. They flushed; neither of them realized how closely they had been standing. "Never been better, Doctor. You?" He nodded, not really answering her question, but she understood. She always did. "That's good. Now, where are we?"

"That is an excellent question," Amy added as she slid off the chair. Striding to her husband's side, Amy pulled Rory to his feet, grabbed his face in her hands, and pecked his nose. With his reddening face, Rory snaked an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, grinning like a mad man. But her eyes were not on him; instead, they were latched onto the Doctor and Tabitha, who had not moved from their spot of leaning against the console, hardly any space between them. After kissing the ginger's temple, he turned his gaze onto the two time travelers, so comfortable in the other's presence. They did not seem to notice the human couple staring blatantly at them.

That was, until, Tabitha remarked, "Amelia and Rory are watching us, Doctor."

"Of course, they are. So nosy - all humans are." They shared another silent smile before the Doctor danced from her grip and rushed to fling open the TARDIS doors, his three companions behind him; Tabitha hastily threw her jacket over her shoulders and pushed her arms through the sleeves. They were greeted by the sight of a large, medieval, stone monastery, a golden weathervane drifting in a circle atop a spire. The clouds overhead were pale grey, like steel, and moved swiftly across the sky in the wind, which nipped at their exposed skin. "Behold a cockerel! Love a cockerel, and, underneath, a monastery. Thirteenth century."

"I'm not so sure about that," Tabitha muttered beneath her breath as music played somewhere off in the distance. In all her many, _many _years of time travel with the Doctor, she had never heard that type of music in the thirteenth century. She gently swayed to the music, a smile on her face.

"I have to agree with Tabs on this one," added Rory.

"Really?" Amy responded, lifting an eyebrow. "Medieval experts, are you two?"

"Well, I could technically be counted as one," Tabitha said nonchalantly. "One gets bored being in the TARDIS for so long. So I had nothing to do other than read what was in the Doctor's mind, and there was plenty to learn. Because of him, I know quite a bit about Medieval times: culture, architecture, advances in science and medicine, religion - the list goes on. Fascinating stuff, and I am nearly positive Rory would think so as well. But, Amelia, I think he was referring to the music playing. According to Rory's thoughts, it's Dusty Springfield's (whoever that is) 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me'. I liked the other song, the one in the TARDIS, better. Although, this Dusty has a lovely voice. Can we meet her one day?"

The ginger thoroughly confused, both by Tabitha and the music, the four walked away from the TARDIS in search of the source of the music. As they moved closer to the stairs leading into a hole and a door in the monastery wall, the Doctor knelt by an exposed pipe in the ground.

"These fissures are new," he deduced. "The solar tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. This was caused by a magnetic quake that occurred just before the wave hit."

"Well, the monastery's standing." The ginger gestured to the massive building behind her.

The Doctor stood up, plunged his hand deep into a pocket sewn on the inside of Tabitha's jacket, and pulled out a snow globe, successfully bewildering the two humans; Tabitha just shook her head. Even she knew the principle of 'bigger on the inside' referred to everything pertaining to Time Lords. He shook it and watched the swirling white flakes with concern etched on his face. Tabitha hovered over him, struggling to see what he saw. Stuffing the globe into his own pocket, the Doctor said, "Yeah, for now."

"Doctor, look." Rory pointed to the pipe. The words "DANGER - CORROSIVE" were stenciled onto the outside. The last few letters were hidden beneath the grass and dirt, but the message was clear.

"Ah, it's a supply pipe." The Doctor pulled out his sonic and quickly scanned it. Absorbing the reading coming from it, he read, "Ceramic inner lining. Something corrosive." Tabitha rolled her eyes; _I never would have guessed, _she thought. _Thank goodness for the Doctor and his sonic screwdriver. _Amy had long since explained to her the concept of sarcasm, and Tabitha took to it like a fish to water. "They're pumping something nasty off this island to the mainland." He turned so that his back was facing Rory, Amy, and Tabitha. The two humans looked around themselves at the monastery, the water separating them from the mainland, and the birds wheeling overhead. Tabitha tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed over her chest; she was ready for her second adventure, and the Doctor wanting to be dramatic was not going to get in the way of that.

Following his ominous remark, Rory inappropriately stated, "My mum's a fan of Dusty Springfield."

"Who isn't?" The Doctor spun back around, and the smile returned to his face. "Right, let's go satisfy our rabid curiosity." Jumping over the hole, he and Amy ran for the stairs. Tabitha, laughing, grabbed Rory's hand and followed, pulling the human after her. The four ducked through the doorway and emerged in a courtyard. The sky above, as the next storm approached, was orange-gold. _Like the Doctor's regenerative energy; _Tabitha could not help but make the comparison. Seagulls circled the monastery, squawking down at the four, two-legged beings. With the muffled sounds of waves crashing against the rock, Tabitha was enchanted. So much, in fact, that she did not notice her friends saunter passed her until Rory gently tugged on their linked hands.

"So, where are these Dusty Springfield-loving monks, then?" Amy asked as the Doctor scanned the area.

"I think we're here. This is it."

"What are you talking about? We haven't been here before," added Rory.

"We came here by accident."

"Accident?" The Doctor wheeled around to face the ginger. His attention was primarily on Amy, but he could see Rory and Tabitha's clasped hands in the background. The hand around his sonic tightened. He watched discreetly as Rory released Tabitha's hand to latch onto Amy's but not before sending her a friendly smile, which Tabitha gladly returned. Though he had not reason to be jealous of Rory - the human was strictly loyal to his wife - the Doctor's voice was strained as he continued. "Yes, I know. Accident."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rory," Tabitha stated suddenly. With his free hand, Rory reached out to brush his fingers along another pipe running alongside the stairs. Shouting in pain, he yanked his hand from her pipe; the Doctor could not help but look on in smug satisfaction. "I warned you."

"They're pumping acid off this island. That's old stuff. Fresh stuff and you wouldn't have a finger." Flipping his sonic and snatching Tabitha's hand, the Doctor waltzed into the monastery. Behind them, Amy pressed a kissed to his burned fingers, and then the two nearly fell into step behind them, laced hands swinging back and forth between the humans. However, the moment the Doctor and Tabitha entered the building an alarm sounded, and the computer blared "INTRUDER ALERT!" repeatedly. Grinning wildly, he ran back to his human companions. "There are people coming," the Doctor said. "Well, almost."

"Almost coming?"

"Almost people," Tabitha responded over her shoulder as they headed off, Amy following. She could not hear Rory's response, nor Amy's as the ginger woman dragged him into the building. They entered a circular room, and hanging in the window alcoves were human-shaped harnesses. Men and women in orange jumpsuits were strapped into them, unconscious. The Doctor, still holding Tabitha, ran to the far side of the room, her head snapping this way and that to examine the people. Amy voiced the question in Tabitha's head when she asked, "What are these harnesses for?"

"Uh, the almost people...?" Rory said. Well, more asked than said.

"What are they? Prisoners? Or are they meditating, or what?"

"Amelia, I think they fall into the 'or what' category," answered Tabitha. The computer ordered them to halt and remain calm, and the four came to a complete standstill. "Well, we've halted, and I'm fairly calm. How about you, Amelia and Rory? Doctor?" They all nodded. "That's good."

"Don't move!" a voice shouted from the corridor opposite them, and three more people in jumpsuits - two men and a woman - rushed into the room with lances pointed at Amy, Rory, Tabitha, and the Doctor. The Time Lord immediately pushed Tabitha behind him, and she peeked from over his shoulder. No one moved, but one of the men jabbed the point towards them, saying, "Stay back, Jen. We don't know who they are." The woman, Jen, scoffed and strutted around her 'protectors.' "Jen, don't."

"So let's ask them. Who the hell are you?" Tabitha hastily glanced from the three people in front to the three people on the harnesses who looked _exactly _like them. Amy appeared to notice, as well, for she even ran from the lance-wielding ones to their duplicates, desperately searching their faces for any differences.

"Well, I'm the Doctor, and this Tabitha." He cautiously moved her to his side with an arm around her shoulder that remained there. "And the other two are Amy and Rory, and it's all very nice isn't it?"

"Hold up," Amy shouted. "You're all - what are you all, like, identical twins?"

Another female voice declared, "This is an Alpha-grade industrial facility." Two more people, clad in acid suits rather than the orange jumpsuits, marched forward. Much like Jen and her two friends, their doppelgängers were strapped to the harnesses. "Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in big trouble." The Doctor nudged Tabitha with his hip, a smirk on his face, before he pulled his psychic paper from his coat pocket. With a flourish, he presented them to the two newcomers.

"Actually, you're in big trouble."

"Meteorological department, since when?" the woman, and apparent leader, demanded.

"Since you were hit by a solar wave."

"Which we survived."

"Just, by the look of it. And there's a bigger one on the way, too."

"Which we'll also survive. Dicken,-" the man on her right stepped forward, "-scan for bugs." At her command, the four were ordered against a wall. Dicken pulled a scanner from somewhere on his person, and ran it up and down their bodies. When he reached Tabitha, he eyed her up and down with a grin on his face. The Doctor glared at the man, bringing her scanning to an immediate end, and his hand moved down to lace with hers. Dicken finished scanning with an, "It's okay, boss."

"You're not a monastery," the Doctor continued. " You're a factory. Twenty-second century, army owned factory."

"You're army?" Amy asked in disbelief. To which, the woman replied, "No, love. We're contractors, and you're trespassers. However, your I.D checks out, weatherman. If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it? Hand out sunblock?" The Doctor and, subsequently, Tabitha moved to take back his psychic paper.

"Ha, ha, ha," he fake laughed. "I need to see your critical systems."

"Which one?"

"You know which one."

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**Hope you enjoyed it! Remember to review, favorite, follow, whatever it is that you do :) If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know.**


	6. The Rebel Flesh 2

**I honestly have nothing so say other than this: Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed and favorite this story. It has brought a huge smile to my face and makes me want to write all the time. Of course, if I did that, I'd fail all my classes. Although I love writing and posting and reading your reviews, I also love seeing A's on my report card... only a tiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnny bit more, though :)**

**You already know that I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, it would not be nearly as awesome as it currently is**

**This rhyming is getting harder than singing live. But, despite the lameness of this short poem, here's Chapter Five!**

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"And there you are," the Doctor cooed to a raised platform in the center of the room, his face washed out by the moonlight reflecting off of the mixture in the large, metal bowl upon the platform. Running his hand along the rim, stroking the cool metal, he could not help but stare in awe at the bubbling mixture, like water boiling in a pot, with each bubble popping with an audible 'blub.' Coming along his side, Tabitha smiled at how enraptured he was by it. She rubbed circles along his upper back, and he grinned up at her. "Look at this, Tabitha." He drew her down to his side so their eyes were level with the rim of the bowl.

"What is it?" she asked. The Doctor shrugged.

"This," the leader - Tabitha learned her name was Miranda Cleaves - answered with no small amount of pride in her voice, "is the government's worst-kept secret: the Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level." Miranda smirked at the obvious astonishment in the two time traveler's gazes. At Amy's confused comment, she continued, much like a teacher talking to her least bright student. "Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything, replicate a living organism, down to the hairs on its chinny-chin-chin. Even clothes, and everything's identical - eyes, voice-"

"Mind, soul," Tabitha added, her awe making way for disgust. They were willingly giving themselves to this flesh, allowing to create another _them_. And, when those copies were no longer needed, they were thrown away like garbage. At the thought, Tabitha frowned. _What happens if the Flesh suddenly realizes that it's a human, too? A living, breathing soul with free will. What happens to the originals?_ She did not have to ponder on that for long; the answer, in the form of a flash from the near future, rose to the forefront of her mind, and Tabitha gasped. _That's bad. Oh, that's extremely, very, not good. _Her eyes glanced for a split second at Rory. Poor, innocent Rory. _He's so much more like the Doctor than he thinks._

"She's right," the Doctor responded, agreeing with the TARDIS child. Hearing her gasp, the Doctor reached down and carefully laced his fingers with hers, offering her hand a squeeze to remind her that he was always by her side. "But why? Why put so much trust into it?"

"Don't be fooled, Doctor," Cleaves replied sardonically. "It acts like life, but it still needs to be controlled by us from those harnesses you saw."

The Doctor, removing his hand from Tabitha's and lacing them in front of his mouth, rested his elbows on the rim on the bowl, staring intently into the mixture's milky depths. His mind raced at the implications of what Miranda had told him, and, while he could recite a string of positives, the negatives severely outweighed them. If they were not careful, the humans would be in terrible danger, if they were not already. And he had brought Amy and Rory there... he had brought _Tabitha _there. Glancing sideways at the TARDIS child, he could not help but allow the corners of his lips twitch upward at the sight of Tabitha's scrunched brow. He wished he could see what ran through her mind as easily as she could his.

Rory's voice startled the Time Lord out of his thoughts. "Wait! Whoa-oa-oa, hold it," Rory cut in, the pieces given to him falling into place in his mind. "So... you're Flesh now?"

Inclining her head towards the doorway they entered through, Cleaves said, "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are, except Jennifer, here. Don't be scared. This thing?" She rested a hand on the edge of the tub, giving it a gentle pat. "Just like operating a forklift truck."

"You said it could grow," Tabitha began slowly as her mind returned to the present. She needed to warn them but doubted that Cleaves would listen to any warning she had. However, the Doctor would. So, hooking her arm through his, she continued. "The Flesh - these doppelgängers - grow from your very essence, your very being." She turned to raise an inquiring eyebrow at Miranda, who saw nothing but fear in the woman's gaze. "Only living things grow."

"Moss grows."

"And moss is a living thing."

"It's no more than that." Miranda's voice was hard, cold, but Tabitha did not back down, a sternness in her eyes that sent a chill down Amy and Rory's backs. The Doctor recognized it, though: the Oncoming Storm. Tabitha _had _said she was a part of him. He just did not know how much of him was now in her. "This acid is so dangerous, we were losing a worker every week. So now, we mine the acid, using these doppelgängers, or 'Gangers.' If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid..." She trailed off, almost enjoying the rage that appeared in Tabitha's emerald eyes, but the TARDIS child said nothing, her hands clenching into fists.

"Then who the hell cares? Right, Jen?" the Ganger of the man named Buzzer supplied, successfully intensifying the tension between the two women.

Jennifer shuffled beneath the sudden attention. "Well, the nerve endings automatically cut off, like airbags being discharged, except we wake up and get a new Ganger," she sai

"It's weird," Ganger Jimmy said, "but you get used to it."

"Jennifer, I want you in Ganger. Get back to the harness," Cleaves commanded as the Doctor pulled out his sonic and began scanning the Flesh; nodding, Jennifer left the room. Tabitha moved to snatch his arm, but one wink from him was all it took for her hand to go back to her side. The sonic buzzed as it took a reading from the white mixture. As he continued, Tabitha noticed that he was struggling to move his arm. Moving closer, her hand hovered over the Flesh, and the hold it had upon the Doctor found her as well. She looked on in wonder at her trembling hand.

"Hold on," Ganger Buzzer snapped. "What's they up to? What are you up to, pal?"

"Stop it." Grunting, the Doctor yanked his and Tabitha's arms back and tucked the sonic back into his jacket pocket. "Ahh! Strange. It was like, for a moment there, that it was scanning _me_." He tentatively reached out and skimmed his palm over the surface of the mixture. "Ahh."

"Doctor," Miranda and Tabitha said at the same time. The latter watched in apprehension as his hand shook, much like hers had, but he could not move it away. "Get back, Doctor. Leave it alone!" But his palm remained glued to the Flesh, and his face twisted in pain. Tabitha gripped onto his wrist and pulled. However, he would not budge. He looked over at her momentarily before he was released, and the two stumbled away from the vat. She cleaned the Flesh from his hand with the edge of her shirt.

"I understand."

"Doctor, are you alright?" Amy asked.

"Incredible," he said in awe. The Doctor did not even appear to hear the Scottish woman's question. "You have no idea. No idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it, and it, to me." He turned to Tabitha. "Did you feel it? You had to have felt it." Wordlessly, she nodded.

"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor," Cleaves responded.

"How can you be so blinkered? It's alive, _so _alive. You're piling your lives, your personalities, directly into it." Lightning crashed outside as he pulled out the snow globe once more and examined the white flakes within. Beneath them, the ground shook. "It's the solar storm. The first waves comes in pairs - pre-shock and full shock. It's close." He walked away from the tub, leaving Tabitha to stare out the solitary window in wonder. She had never experienced thunder up close in this body. It sounded horrifying. The lightning, though, looked beautiful.

"Buzz, have we got anything from the mainland, yet?"

"No, the comms are still too jammed with radiation."

"Okay, then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop." Cleaves turned towards the Doctor with a smirk. "Now, why don't you get your girl away from the money and let us impress you." She jerked her head at Tabitha, who snapped out of it long enough to hear the woman's final words. With a frown, she made her way next to the Doctor by the tub. Gripping his hand, they watched as Flesh poured into the empty basin. Soon, a face began to form from the Flesh: the mouth, then the nose, two eyes which sprang open. In a matter of minutes, an exact, fully formed copy of Jennifer was sitting in the tub, gasping for breath.

"Amazing," Tabitha gasped.

"Well, I can see why you keep it in a church," the Doctor commented. "The miracle of life."

Next to him, Ganger Buzzer said, "No need to get poncey. It's just gunge." Miranda called them all to work. "Okay, everybody. Let's crack on." Grasping Ganger Jen's hands as she jumped onto the tub's ledge, Gangers Buzzer and Jimmy helped her take her first steps over the ground. Not that she needed it. As soon as she was up, she was as assimilated to her surroundings as the real Jen had been and got straight to work without any questions asked or directions given.

"Did I mention the solar storm? You need to get out of here."

"Well, where do you want us to go?" Ganger Jimmy countered; his words were not scathing or accusing, just curious. "We're on a tiny island."

"The Doctor can get all of us off of this island. You, me, Amy, Rory, himself, even the Gangers if they want to come," replied Tabitha. The Doctor smiled down at the woman by his side who had so much faith in him. It caused a warmth to settle in the pit of his stomach; not even his companions trusted him so willingly all the time, putting their lives in his hands. "Although that sounds a bit far-fetched, how do you think we got here in the first place? If you trust us, we can get away safely. All we'd have to do is-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Miranda cut in, walking passed behind the Doctor and Tabitha, eyeing their connected hands as she went. "We've got a job to do."

Not paying attention to her words, the Doctor shook the snow globe once more. "It's coming." An alarm sounded the moment he finished speaking, and Ganger Jen was quick to point it out. Head snapping up towards Cleaves, he asked, "How do you get power?" while tucking the snow globe into Tabitha's bigger-on-the-inside pocket.

"We're solar, and we use a solar router. The weather vane."

"Big problem," the Doctor said.

Leaning to speak in Miranda's ear, Ganger Jimmy attempted to get her to reconsider. "Boss, maybe if the storm comes back, we should get underground. The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit."

"We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out. We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anybody want that?" No one answered.

Releasing Tabitha and grabbing onto Miranda's arm, the Doctor pulled her off to the side, leaving his companions and the workers to look after them out of the corners of their yes and discreetly hide their eavesdropping. Tabitha, who had no concept of being inconspicuous, watched them converses with obvious interest, arms crossed over her chest. "Please. You are making a massive mistake here. You're right at the crossroads of it. Don't turn the wrong way. If you don't - if you don't - prepare for this storm, you are all in terribly danger, understand?" He did not want to admit that he and his friends were also in terribly danger, because he doubted Tabitha would allow them to leave without the humans and the Gangers. She would refuse.

After a moment of consideration, Cleaves responded, "My factory, my rules," and she walked away. Tabitha immediately took her place by the Doctor's side and tapped him on the shoulder. They shared a single glance - all it ever took was one -, and the Doctor nodded in agreement. Smiling at the TARDIS child, the Doctor kissed her forehead.

"I need to check the progress of the storm." The Doctor snapped his fingers at the two Gangers. "Monitoring station." Gangers Jen and Jimmy looked at one another hesitantly before peeking at their boss's turned, tense back. "Monitoring station!"

"Three rights, a left, and a left," Ganger Jen finally answered. "Third door on your left."

"Thank you." Grasping onto Tabitha's hand, the Doctor pulled her from the room with Amy and Rory following behind them.

"Doctor, what are we doing?" Rory inquired. "Where are we going?"

"The storm's coming, getting bigger, which is bad news. The monastery may have survived the first storm - good for them, by the way -, but one more will cause the pipes to shatter, sending _two hundred tons_ acid everywhere, burning through the very foundations of the monastery. After that, well..." He suddenly turned upon the humans. "I don't suppose either of you know how to fly? No, that's a stupid question. Pretend I never asked that. Come on!" Dragging Tabitha in his wake, the Doctor ran into the room just as the building shook due to the approaching storm; in the center of the room was a circular bank of instruments. He ran around the pillar, flipping switched and turning knobs as he went.

"What's going on?" asked Amy.

"The wave's disturbing the Earth's magnetic field," he explained, his words coming from his mouth faster than the humans thought possible. "There is going to be the mother and father of all power surges. You see this weather vane, this cock-a-doodle-doo? It's a solar router, feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits, _kaboom_. I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose." He ran over to the doorway and then turned back to the humans with a grin. "I never thought I'd have to stay that again."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tabitha made to skip from the room, but the Doctor pulled her back by her hands. "What?"

"I want you to stay with the Ponds. Don't argue with me, Tabitha." Her mouth snapped shut with a pop, and the Doctor smiled softy at the woman. "Thank you, Tabitha. I just want you to stay safe, and there is no safer place than with the Ponds right now." His hand came up to gently stroke her cheek. "Stay safe. Ah, and Amy, breathe." With one final grin, the Doctor left the room. Dejectedly, Tabitha returned to Rory's side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah!" the ginger said. "I mean, thanks, I'll try."

"Don't worry, Tabs. He'll be fine." Grabbing her hand and his wife's, Rory pulled them from the monitoring station and back into the Flesh room. Suddenly, the entire monastery shook, sending the married pair to the ground. Their heads hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and Tabitha flinched when the both fell unconscious. Clutching to the edge of the tub, she waited until the world stilled and the thunder and lightning ceased before falling to her knees beside the humans. Shaking Rory's shoulder, she frowned when he, or his wife, did not awaken.

With a hand on the edge of the tub, Tabitha pushed herself onto shaking legs and stumbled from the room. Using the walls to support herself, Tabitha meandered through the monastery, as she had no clue where she was going. She did not know how much time had passed, but Tabitha soon found herself in a massive dining hall, a dark wooden table in the center of the room. And, surrounding the table, were the Gangers of Buzzer, Jimmy, and Dicken. Their gazes snapped towards her when she entered the room. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I recognize you. You're travelling with that man with the stupid-looking bowtie," Ganger Jimmy exclaimed after a moment of silence. He jumped from his seat next to a record player and came to her side. As she tried to move away, Ganger Jimmy grabbed her arm before she could fall. "Are you alright, girl? You look a bit pale."

"I could be better. My friends are unconscious, and I have no idea where I am. Also, you can call me Tabitha. But what about you three? That storm was terrifying." Ganger Jimmy, with a hand on the small of her back, guided Tabitha over to the table and sat her down next to Ganger Buzzer, who was building a house out of playing cards. Forgetting her momentary panic, Tabitha rested her cheek on the table and stared, astonished, at the flimsy base of the house. "That's incredible. How do you do that?" Her breath hit and broke over the bottom layer of cards, and the house suddenly collapsed, some cards fluttering over the edge of the table and onto the floor. "I'm so sorry, Buzzer! I didn't mean it."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Tabitha." Chuckling, he gathered up the cards once more and began the house once again. "Would you like to help?"

"Sure." As the two got the work, Ganger Jimmy got the record player to work, and the voice of Dusty Springfield echoed throughout the room. "So, _you're _the Dusty fan, Jimmy. We heard the music when we first arrived on the island. I like it." Smiling, Tabitha hummed along with the song. They may have not known that _she _knew that they were Gangers, but Tabitha thought they were more human than the real versions of Jimmy, Dicken, and Buzzer. She wondered when she would meet Gangers Miranda and Jennifer. Finishing the house of cards, she cheered and shared a high-five with Buzzer. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"My granddad taught me." Tabitha scooted her chair closer to his, placed her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in her hands with a smile on her face - the universal sign for '_tell me more.'_ "When I was a lad, my granddad would come over and just do this all afternoon. One day, I sat down and watched him for hours, wanting to know how to do it. So I got myself a deck of cards, but I failed every time. When my granddad came over one Saturday, he found me sitting in his chair, glaring at my cards. He offered to show me how to do it properly, and I've never forgotten." He gestured to the card house in front of them. "Now that he's dead, it's a way for me to stay close to him."

"That's nice," Tabitha mused, and Buzzer smiled. Leaning back, she shouted to the silent Ganger, "And you, Dicken? Any family back home?" His reply was just a shrug and noncommittal grunt, but she flashed the untrusting Ganger a toothy grin nonetheless. As Ganger Jimmy sat down on the other side of her, she turned to him. "Do you have anyone waiting for you, Jimmy?"

Jimmy's face lit up when she asked that question. "A beautiful wife, Isobel, and our son, Adam. Tomorrow's his birthday. He's going to be five. You know, he has this wee little dance he does when he gets excited." He laughed, a low and bitter laugh. "I've missed three of his birthdays because of work. Soon, it'll be four." Jimmy dropped his head onto his chest. "I'm rubbish as a father, but Isobel and Adam love me anyways. I couldn't ask for a better, more loyal, family. I just hope I get to see them soon. I miss them more than anything."

"_You_ will," Tabitha said, not quite knowing why. But she just _knew _he would not miss anymore birthdays with Adam. Even if that feeling was wrong, Tabitha vowed to make sure it happened. "You're lucky, Jimmy. I wish I had a family like that."

"You don't?" Dicken asked as he came up to hover behind Tabitha. Her eyes were sad as she glanced into each of their eyes.

"No, it's just me and Bowtie Man, the Doctor; I can't even consider Amelia and Rory as part of our family, because they'll vanish just like the rest. The two lonely travelers... It's not as bad as it sounds, though. We get into all sorts of trouble together." Her eyes had a faraway look, staring off into a memory. Gangers Buzzer and Jimmy smirked at one another from across the table. It was obvious to them, but not to her. "And there's so much more to come. I can't wait." Jimmy reached over and patted her shoulder.

"At least you have someone. It'd be horrible to for someone so young to be..." His words faded into silence, and Ganger Jimmy stared off the distance with intense concentration on his face. Tabitha and Ganger Buzzer had just looked at one another, confused, when he suddenly exclaimed, "We need to get out of here. They're coming." Wrapping a hand around Tabitha's forearm, the three Gangers and Tabitha rushed from the room through the back door.

"You mean the humans?" Tabitha asked.

"You knew. You knew we weren't the real ones when you saw us." It was not a question, and Tabitha nodded. "We figured it out once the storm passed and noticed that we weren't fully formed. Are you scared of us, Tabitha?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"You haven't given me a reason to." Ganger Jimmy grinned down at the shorter, spiky-haired woman and her naivety; so easily trustworthy she was, like his - no, _Jimmy's_ - son. In fact, she looked young enough to be his daughter. His hand moved from her arm to her hand, nothing more than a fatherly gesture, and the four continued running from the approaching humans. "Where are we going?"

"Your doctor friend was right when he said the monastery couldn't handle another storm, unfortunately," Ganger Jimmy told her. "Some of the pipes burst, which means we need to get the acid suits. Protect ourselves, and you too now that you're with us, Tabitha. The humans are smart, and they can take care of themselves. Not to mention that they'll be searching for us, to 'decommission' us as it were. So, we're going to need to find every advantage and take all precautions against them and the acid." Again, Tabitha nodded. It made sense.

The four came upon the closet holding the acid suits, and Ganger Dicken passed them to the others. Ganger Buzzer helped Tabitha into hers, properly attaching the helmet and fastening the suit; it was difficult as he could not convince her to remove her leather jacket., but they finally got it on. Lifting the visor from where it had fallen, Tabitha said, "Thanks, Ganger Buzzer."

"No problem, Miss Tabitha. Where to now, Jimmy?"

"We need to keep moving, head towards the acid room, because the humans will be after us. Buzzer, you stay close to Tabitha. Make sure she doesn't get hurt. Dicken, bring up the rear. Let's go."


	7. The Rebel Flesh 3

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far! Glad you are enjoying the story. I apologize for my inconsistent updating, but that is truly something I cannot control. Actually, in a way, I could. However, as stated in the previous chapter, I like having A's on my report card.**

**Doctor Who? Mine? HA! I wish.**

**To get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, how many licks? That was really stupid, but onto Chapter Six!**

* * *

In the dining hall, the Doctor was pacing angrily back and forth, while Amy watched on in guilt, wringing her hands in front of her. Jimmy, Cleaves, and Buzzer were looking around the room in shock at what their Gangers had done: rifled through their personal belongings, searching for proof that the memories in their heads were real, or so the Doctor said. Their conversations turned into an annoying buzz in the back of the Doctor's mind. He was so focused on what Amy had told him. Running a shaking hand through his hair, he turned upon the ginger, his eyes burning. "Tell me what you said, again."

"We lost Tabby," Amy replied in a quavering voice. "She wasn't there when Rory and I woke up, and she wasn't in the harness room either. I have no idea where she could have gone. I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm so, so sorry." With the back of her hand pressed against her mouth, Amy tried to push back the sobs that threatened to overtake her.

Sighing, his anger fading, the Doctor wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, it's alright, Pond. We'll find her. You and me." He moved back far enough to wipe a tear from her cheek. "We are going to find Tabitha. I promise." He gently tapped her nose, drawing a short peal of laughter from the distraught ginger. Turning back towards the other three, he sat in the chair at the head of the table, leaned forward and studied the house of cards. Buzzer came by his side and stared down at the structure with something akin to disgust in his gaze. "You know this?"

"That's me," he said. "It's good to have a hobby. So, what, my Ganger did that all on its own?"

"Who taught you to do this?"

"My granddad."

"Well, your Ganger's granddad taught him to do it, too." The Doctor watched Buzzer as the latter's hand went out to swim in the air surrounding the house of cards, disbelief etched on his features. "You both have the same childhood memories, just as clear, just as real."

"No." Buzzer crushed the house beneath his palm.

"They're scared, disorientated, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads." He had to try to make them understand, realize that the Gangers were now as human as they are, with memories and hopes and dreams. He could not, _would _not, let them go on a hunt for the Gangers, like poachers searching for elephants. The last thing he wanted was a massacre on his hands, especially with Tabitha out there somewhere. She could get hurt due to anything: the storm, the acid, the Gangers; there were far too many variables, more than the Doctor was comfortable with. All he knew was that Tabitha was in danger, and it set it blood boiling with rage. His hands clutching his sonic, he watched as the skin tightened over his knuckles.

He would find her. He refused to leave the island without her.

But he needed to remain calm, collected. If the humans knew how angry he was, they could play on it; humans were just so predictable in that way. The Doctor did not want to give them a chance to attack the Gangers, with him leading, so he looked for the most human method of calming himself down. Finding a plate and a container of food, he put it into the microwave, fired it up, and waited for the food to warm.

"We need to protect ourselves," Jimmy stated. He, Amy, Cleaves, and Buzzer stood around the table, examining the papers and photos the Gangers had pulled from their bags and suitcases.

"Are you a violent man, Jimmy?"

"No."

"Then why would the other Jimmy be?"

Walking up to the Doctor, Cleaves said, "Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor."

He changed the subject, not wanting to reveal the true reasons behind his actions. Mostly, it was to give his body something to do, slowly releasing the pent up anger and fear within him at Tabitha's absence. Secondly, it was an experiment. There was a question that was still unanswered. So, leaning against the microwave, The Doctor looked down at the woman. "You told me you were out cold for a few minutes, Cleaves, when, in fact, it had been an hour."

"Sorry, I just assumed-"

"Well, it's not your fault. Like I said, their disorientated. Amy, when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?" The microwave timer pinged, and the Doctor pulled out the plate using a towel, answering Amy as he went. But the heat burned through the plate and the towel. He hurriedly passed it to Cleaves beside him, who received it bare-handed. She did not even seem to notice. "It's hot," he told her. As if just realizing the searing pain in her hand, after a few seconds, Cleaves hissed dropped the plate, which shattered on the ground. "The transmitter's still a bit rubbery. The nerve endings are not quite fused properly." The Doctor grabbed her hand, examining the burns, but she snatched it back.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's okay," he responded in a calm voice.

"Why didn't I feel that?"

"You will. You'll stabilize."

"No, stop it," Ganger Cleaves commanded. "You're playing stupid games. Stop it!" Staring at her hand, she turned her back towards the Doctor, but he approached her slowly, his voice as gentle as possible as he said, "You don't have to hide. Please, trust me. I'm the Doctor." Ganger Cleaves whirled around and hissed at the Doctor, her face half-formed. Behind him, Buzzer grabbed a knife and advanced upon her, shouting, but Jimmy held him back.

"That's it. Good," the Doctor continued. "You remember. This is early Flesh, the early stages of the technology. So much to learn." She shuddered as the Doctor reached out to touch her cheek.

"Doctor, what's happened to her?"

"She can's stabilize - she's shifting between half-formed and full-formed. For now, at least." Yelling at the Doctor, Ganger Cleaves lunged for him. He dodged, and she ran from the room, screaming. It took all the Doctor's willpower to stay in the dining hall and say playfully, "Let her go," but his mind followed after her. Ganger Cleaves, unstable and violent, was freely roaming the monastery and could run into Tabitha at any moment. He wanted to run after her, search and shout for Tabitha until his voice was raw. He could not push away the thought that Tabitha did not know she was in horrible danger, and it was all his fault. He nearly dropped his face into his hands in shame. Another companion he failed to protect. What was the point of him, then?

Amy, of course, did not have his self-restraint. "Doctor! Tabby and Rory are out there with the Gangers. Oh no... Rory went with Jennifer! He could be hurt or killed! We need to find them."

"Your friends are out there?" Jimmy asked, coming over to them. Amy nodded. "Then why are we still standing here? Let's go."

* * *

It was night, and they had been in the acid room for hours. Tabitha leaned against the far wall of the acid room, tapping a rhythm on her legs as she watched the three Gangers sit around the vat containing the acid, struggling to keep the boredom at bay. They had already removed their acid suits, but Ganger Jimmy had ordered her to keep hers on. Suddenly, she heard beeping, and the door opened. As they got to their feet, Ganger Cleaves entered the room. Tabitha noticed that all their faces were half-formed, but the logical fear she should have felt still did not come. Silently coming up behind Ganger Jimmy, Tabitha tapped his hand, and he nodded imperceptibly.

Ganger Cleaves descended the stairs to join her fellow Gangers. "We have the advantage now. We have the acid suits. We can move freely. Strike at will." Her eyes found Tabitha standing behind Ganger Jimmy, and she bared her teeth at the TARDIS child. "What is she doing her? Get rid of her!" But the three male Gangers moved in front of her, creating a wall against Ganger Cleaves. "Didn't you hear me? Get. Rid. Of. Her. She's just going to lead the others straight to us." Ganger Cleaves made to attack Tabitha, but the wall remained strong. "What the hell are you doing? She's the enemy!"

"No," Ganger Jimmy replied. "Tabbers is helping us."

_Tabbers? _thought Tabitha. _I like it._

"So she's going to fight against her friends and the humans just so we can live?" Ganger Cleaves asked. None of the men could answer. Slowly, the moved out of the way so the two women could stare one another down. "If it comes down to it, could you hurt your Doctor so that Jimmy would be safe? How about the ginger or her husband for me or Buzzer? You're willing to turn your backs on them to protect us." Tabitha shook her head. "See, she's just trying to make you trust her so she can betray us later."

"No."

"What?"

"I would never do something like that," Tabitha explained in a level voice. "Despite what you think, Ganger Cleaves, I am going to try to keep you all safe for as long as I can; no one deserves to die the way you do. The Doctor would not attack me. He would do everything in his power to keep me and, in turn, you. I'm not so sure about the humans, though. But, know this, by whatever power I possess, you will live." She turned to address them all. "Every single one of you."

Ganger Cleaves looked impressed by the woman's determination. "Alright, but there's nothing we can do now but wait." She finished speaking at the same time the door to the acid room opened one more, and Tabitha almost laughed in relief at the sight of the Doctor standing in the doorway. Ganger Jimmy pushed her behind him as the Doctor, flashlight in hand, made his way down the stairs, staring at the acid suits, and then his gaze landed on the Gangers' boots before following their bodies up to their faces. Tabitha, from her hiding place behind Ganger Jimmy, was surprised to see a deeply repressed rage in his blue eyes. Her grip on Jimmy's hand tightened momentarily before she released it.

"Hello," he said coolly. "How are we all getting on?"

"Why don't _you _tell us?" Ganger Cleaves replied.

"I could stand here all day, exchanging witty comebacks," the Doctor nearly growled. "But then that'd be a waste of my time. So, let me cut to the chase - where is Tabitha?" No one answered. "I know you're hiding her from me, and that's not a very good idea because I'm the only thing standing between you and the humans. I'm the only person keeping you alive. However, right now, you're on my bad side, which is not a good place to be. If you want to stay off my bad side, I suggest you give her back to me. Now."

Ganger Jimmy reluctantly stepped aside, revealing Tabitha standing behind him in the acid suit. "Hi."

Pulling her against him, the Doctor wrapped the woman in his arms, one arm around her waist and the other hand cradling her head against his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair, kissing the crown of her head repeatedly. Beneath his shirt, she could feel his twin hearts pounding away. The world faded away around them, and all he knew was the feel of Tabitha's body and warmth on his. He muttered, "You're safe," over and over in her ear, repeating it like a mantra. His eyes were closed, and the Doctor reveled in the moment. Tabitha was safe and by his side, which is how it always should be. The wave of happiness and relief that washed over him nearly sent him to his knees. The Doctor kissed her temple. "I'm so happy I've found you."

"As charming as this is," Ganger Cleaves interrupted, "if that's the only thing you wanted, get out."

"No, there's more." He puled away from Tabitha but kept a firm arm around her waist. "We have two choices. The first is to tear each other apart - not my favorite. The second is to knuckle down and work together. Try to work out how best we can help you."

"And what about the originals?" Ganger Buzzer asked. "Are they privy to this plan?"

"Not really, no. But I am, and they have to listen to me." There was a tense silence in which Tabitha wondered if they would refuse his help, but, soon, all six of them were striding towards the dining hall, the Gangers in full-form; she had removed her acid suit back in the acid room. "Now, I know it's hard for you to hold your fully human form, that's why you keep shifting between the flesh stages, but do try — it'll make the others less scared of you." He did not notice Ganger Cleaves pause and look behind her before moving, so focused he was on the woman at his side. "Are you alright, Tabitha?"

"I'm fine," she replied for the umpteenth time. "Stop asking. They didn't hurt me. In fact, Ganger Jimmy made sure I was especially taken care of."

"Really?" Tabitha nodded enthusiastically. "I wonder why."

Coming upon the doors, the Doctor pushed it open, stating, "Until the Doctor gets here," at the same time as Amy. Everyone turned their gaze upon the doors, where they were previously on the Ganger Jen, when the Doctor entered with Tabitha on his arm and four Gangers in his wake. Amy ran up to the girl and threw herself on her, the Doctor's arm keeping her upright. "Hello." Happily walking over, Rory pulled his wife from Tabitha, allowing the TARDIS child to breathe with a huge grin on her face.

"This is-," Jimmy began.

"You're telling me," Ganger Jimmy finished.

"All right, Doctor, you've brought us together - now what?" Ganger Cleaves asked.

"Before we do anything, I have one very important question - has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow? Size ten. Although, I should warn you; I have very wide feet." The humans were still so astonished by the sight of their Gangers that they were rendered speechless. Ganger Jimmy, however, stepped forward.

"I think I have a pair of boots you could use. Tabbers, want to help?"

"_Tabbers?_" the Doctor asked as Tabitha danced from his side. She and Ganger Jimmy began riffling through the real Jimmy's belongings. It was not long before Tabitha emerged from the mess with one boot in hand, and Ganger Jimmy followed with the other. Taking hers, Ganger Jimmy clapped her on the shoulder before passing them to the Doctor, who was staring at Tabitha in surprise. She skipped back to the Doctor and slung his arm over her shoulders. "_Tabbers?_"

"Just put the shoes on, Doctor." He complied rapidly. Not long after, the Doctor was sitting on the edge of the table with Amy behind him and Tabitha almost perched on his lap, her face as red as a tomato; he had not released her since they were reunited. In front of him, one side, stood the humans while the Gangers stood on the other side. Ganger Jennifer was glued to Rory's side, much like she had been the entire evening. Tabitha eyed her warily from her position, sensing something from the Ganger woman but not quite sure what it was. But it caused her skin to crawl, and Tabitha wrapped her leather jacket more tightly around herself. Something was going to happen to the girl, and it would come sooner than Tabitha liked.

"The Flesh was never merely moss," the Doctor told them. "These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"With souls?" asked Jimmy.

"Rubbish," Dicken added before sneezing.

"Bless you." Ganger Cleaves gave Ganger Dicken a look. "What?"

"We were all jelly, once. Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop. Well, everyone except Tabitha." The arm around her waist tightened. "She's a special case." He grinned up at her, forgetting the others in the room until Tabitha cleared her throat. "Right. We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up. We are talking about sacred life. Do you understand? Good. Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool. Once I can reach her, I can get you all off this island, humans and Gangers, eh, how does that sound?"

"Can we get home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy asked hopefully, his eyes brightening.

"What about me?" countered Ganger Jimmy. "He's my son, too."

"_You? _You really think that?"

"I feel it."

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"

"Yeah. I drank about 8 pints of tea. They told me I had a wee boy, and I just burst out laughing." Ganger Jimmy laughed then, reminiscing, and Tabitha smiled at the Ganger while real Jimmy looked on in horror. Tabitha could see the crushing realization coming upon him. "No idea why. I miss home. As much as you."

"Look," the Doctor cut in, "I'm not going to lie to you. It's a right odd mess, this. But, as you might say up north, 'oh, well, I'll just go to t' foot of the stairs.'" He chuckled. "Eh, bye-bye, gone. Or not. Good. Right. The first step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe, then get everyone out of here." The Doctor pushed himself off of the table, but still did not let go of Tabitha. She awkwardly shuffled out of the way to give him some room. As soon as he was upright, he pulled her flush against his side.

"But," Amy said, "we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves."

"I'll go and look for them," Jimmy offered. He made for the door when Ganger Jimmy's voice halted him in his tracks.

"I'll give you a hand, if you like. Cover more ground."

"Yeah. Okay, thanks." They were smiling at the building camaraderie between Jimmy and his Ganger when the real Cleaves entered the room behind them. The device in her hand crackled with electricity as she leveled it at the Gangers, and she cried, "This circus has gone on long enough!" to which Ganger Cleaves made a snarky reply.

"Oh, great. You see, that is just so typically me."

"Doctor, tell it to shut up."

"Please, no. No. No," the Doctor said. Slowly moving to stand by the Doctor, Ganger Jimmy caught his attention and shifted his gaze between Miranda and Tabitha. The Doctor knew Ganger Jimmy would keep her safe, and so, with a single nod, he slowly advanced towards Miranda. Behind him, Ganger Jimmy took his place in front of Tabitha. She gripped his elbow, and he comfortingly patted her hand. Neither of them removed their eyes from the woman with the weapon and the Doctor drawing closer to her.

"Circuit probe. Fires about, oh, 40,000 volts. It would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on Gangers, just the same."

"It's interesting you refer to them as 'it,' but you call a glorified cattle prod a 'she."

"When the real people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Doctor."

"They are just as real as you are, Cleaves, but they're better behaved, for the most part," Tabitha objected from behind Ganger Jimmy. As she stepped out from her hiding place, Ganger Cleaves rolled her eyes. "Who are you two decide what's real and what's not?"

"Oh, give me a break. Doctor, get your girlfriend to shut up. And get her out of the way."

"Oi!" both the Doctor and Ganger Jimmy shouted. "Don't talk to her like that!"

"What are you going to do to them?" Amy asked.

"Sorry, they're monsters, mistakes. They have to be destroyed." The Doctor tried to, in a soft but level voice, convince Cleaves to turn over the device to him, to no avail, her resolve firm, especially when Ganger Cleaves said haughtily, "We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda? Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on." The real Cleaves did not have a chance to reply as Ganger Buzzer charged at her. She fired three times at him, and he fell to the ground. Tabitha ran and knelt by his side, her hand searching in vain for a heartbeat. When she did not find one, Tabitha dropped her head in sorrow.

"He's dead," she croaked. "He had a heartbeat. A real, human heart. And you stopped it."

"We call it 'decommissioned.'" Her words died when she saw the tense set of Tabitha's back and shoulders. Slowly, deliberately, Tabitha removed her jacket and placed it respectfully over his face. She pushed herself to her feet and faced Cleaves. The real Miranda gasped in fear at the raging inferno in the other woman's green eyes. She raised the device higher as Tabitha walked towards her until the tip was pressed against her chest. "Why do you care so much for them? They're _things!_ Creatures! They don't deserve to live." Tabitha said nothing, only allowed Cleaves to see the anger in her eyes. "I'll fire. I'll do it."

"I dare you." Her voice was a dangerously low whisper. "I dare you, Miranda Cleaves."

But, of course, she could not do it, and Cleaves dropped her hand with a sigh.

"You repel me. If anyone doesn't deserve to live, it's people like you." Tabitha stepped away, just in time for Rory to tackle Cleaves to the ground and pry the device from her hands. Taking advantage of the situation, the Gangers fled from the room, Ganger Jimmy the last one to go as he sent Tabitha a final, worrying glance.

"You idiot!" Cleaves shouted at him, pushing Rory off of her and getting to her feet.

"Look at what you've done," the Doctor said in frustration. Tabitha laced her fingers with his.

"If it's war, then it's war. You don't get it, Doctor. How can you? It's us and them now." Cleaves looked at the remaining factory workers. "Us and them." They agreed.

"Doctor," Tabitha whispered into his ear, "if she's right, and I hope she's not, we need to get somewhere safe." She addressed the other woman with much reluctance. "Cleaves, what is the most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?" She said nothing. "Cleaves! The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery! Unless, you want to still be here when they came back. I'm perfectly content with that; they're rather fond of me, except Ganger Jen. But that's only because I haven't had a chance to talk to her. I'll worry about it later."

"The chapel," Cleave answered. "One way in. Stone walls. Two feet thick."

"You've crossed one hell of a line, Cleaves," the Doctor told her, nothing but icy honesty in his voice. "You've killed one of them. They're coming back in a big way. Come on." With Tabitha's hand in his, they all ran from the room, heading for the chapel. As they ran, they heard Jennifer scream from somewhere in the monastery, and Rory, so sweet Rory, parted from the group to go help her. He dashed through a side corridor as the Gangers, clad in the acid suits, appeared at the end of the hall. The Doctor pulled Amy through the door before slamming it shut behind them.

"Amy, they're not after him," he told her. "They're after us." From the corner of the room, they heard a rasping voice that sent chills down everyone's spines. "Show yourself! Show yourself!" But there was no reply, and the others began stacking crates, barrels, anything heavy they could find against the door, barricading it against the Gangers on the other side. With the humans fortifying the door and the Doctor speaking to Amy, Tabitha cautiously approached the corner.

"This is insane," Jimmy said with a laugh. "We're fighting ourselves."

"And it's about to get even more insane, Jimmy," Tabitha said. She stepped closer to the shadows. "You can come out now. I don't think that there's much that can surprise these guys after the day they've had. In fact, you might even be a welcome sight. At least, I think so. And, yes, I know you're there; I've known for a while. So there's no use trying to hide from me."

"Tabitha, what are you doing? Who are you talking to?" The Doctor came to her side and pulled her away from the corner and the owner of the voice. "Show yourself! Right now!"

"Doctor!" Amy began, panicked. "We are trapped in here and Rory is out there, with them. Hello! We can't get to the TARDIS, and we can't even leave the island." Although he did not move his mouth, the Doctor's voice began speaking, emanating from the shadowed corner. He, Tabitha, Amy, Jimmy, Cleaves, and Buzzer looked on in shock as a half-formed, Ganger Doctor emerged from the darkness. The real Doctor tried to block Tabitha with his body, but she was so fascinated by this second Doctor that she sidestepped away from the real Doctor.

"Correct, Pond. It's frightening, unexpected, frankly, a total, utter, splattering mess on the carpet, but I'm certain, one hundred percent certain, that we can work this out. Trust me," he adjusted his bowtie. "I'm the Doctor."

* * *

In the acid room, the Gangers, half-formed, stared up at Ganger Jennifer as she rallied them against the humans. Sadness written on his face, Ganger Jimmy distributed the acid suits. He half-heartedly slipped into his own, not listening to Ganger Jennifer as she said, "You tried, we all tried, and look what they did. Us and them now."

"Us and them," Ganger Dicken agreed.

"They're not all like that," Ganger Jimmy muttered under his breath, thinking of the bright green eyes that had, in such a short time, wormed their way into his heart much like his son's had the day he had been born. Tabitha had been so trusting of them, listening to music and building card houses as if it were just another day. She had looked at them like they were humans, even defended them in front of Cleaves, was willing to _die_ for them. Despite the "glorified cattle prod" being pressed against her chest, Tabitha stood her ground against the real Cleaves. For them. She claimed they were just as human. She had nothing to hurt them. So why should she die alongside them? "Tabbers isn't like that. She's better than the others. So much better."

"You heard the Doctor," Ganger Jennifer sneered. "She's not even _human;_ we don't know what she is, - I doubt they do - but they tolerate her existence. The only reason she cares about us is because she's like us. She should join us! But, instead, she sides with them. What does that say about her, other than the fact that she's ashamed of her what she really is? Whatever that is."

"No. Tabbers isn't like at all." He turned to the other Gangers. "You heard what she said about us, and you saw what she did to Buzzer. Dicken, you know Tabbers would not get rid of that jacket to put on the acid suit. The only time she did it was to cover Buzzer, in respect for the dead." Whirling back on Ganger Jennifer, he shouted up at her, "You hear that, Jen? Respect. She respects us! Tabbers just wants to help."

"Then why isn't she here? Face it, Jimmy. It's us and them, and that includes your precious _Tabbers._" She spat out the name like poison on her tongue. "Are you with us or against us?" He could not reply. "It's time to go to war. I'll take care of the spare." With a final withering glare at Ganger Jimmy, Ganger Jennifer left the room in search of the real Jennifer. Cautiously, Ganger Cleaves placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, and he looked up at her with desperate eyes.

"Maybe it's for the best."

"I won't let her die for us. She doesn't deserve it."

"I know." Ganger Cleaves smiled. "I know."


	8. The Almost People 1

**You guys already know that I don't own Doctor Who in any way, shape, or form. So what is the point of putting this here? **

_**To keep the story up on the sight, that's the point!**_

**Sorry, that was the voice in my head. Say hi, unnamed voice in my head.**

_**Hello, humanoids! Finally, some intelligent conversation. Firstly, you should know that I've been trapped in this maniac's head for years! Get me out of here! Help-**_

**Okayyyyy, enough of her babbling. Let's get on with the story, shall we? Also, thank you to all you amazing people who have reviewed, favorite, and followed this story. I hope that each of these chapters are living up to your expectations.**

**I used to know this one guy whose name was Levin. You probably don't care. So here's Chapter Seven!**

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Tabitha jumped as Ganger Doctor shouted in agony, his hands coming up to cradle his face. "What's happening? I wonder if we'll get back. Yes, one day..." He screamed again, and Tabitha covered her ears to block out the noise, but it echoed in her mind. The Doctor, guiding Tabitha along, carefully made his way over to his agonized Ganger. Back arching, he said between pants, "I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow!" Tabitha smiled sadly; she remembered that Doctor vividly, just as she remembered all the others.

"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," the Doctor explained. "Hold on!"

Ganger Doctor thrust his hand towards the group and spoke in the Fourth Doctor's voice. "Would you like a jelly baby?" Returning to his regular voice, the Doctor's voice, he cried, "Why? WHY?!" His eyes found Tabitha's, and she could see the frantic panic in his eyes as his newly-formed mind attempted to compress nine hundred years of running, fighting... slaughtering into a matter of minutes.

"Why? Why what?"

"Hello," he said, perky yet exhausted. Tabitha recognized the Tenth Doctor's persona easily enough. "I'm the Doctor. NO! Let it go! We've moved on!"

"Hold on," Tabitha told him quietly. "You can stabilize." He suddenly grabbed Tabitha by fistfuls of her shirt and pulled her closer until they were inches apart; behind her, Jimmy held the Doctor back as he tried to get to her, protect her. At the horror in the Ganger's eyes, she slowly unclenched his fists and ran her hands down his arm until they were holding his. "Just look at me. The Doctor's memories are coming to an end, reaching the present. But he wasn't the only one you absorbed DNA from. You recognize me. Not from his memories, but because of _me_." Ganger Doctor nodded. "Good. That means my memories are coming soon. You have the nine hundred years with the Doctor, but you also have the years before that: travelling through time and space, fighting Daleks and Cybermen and so many others before being locked away in a museum and the pain my mother and I felt not having a Time Lord to connect with. And those are going to be the most excruciating feelings you could never imagine. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go this on your own." She reached up and cupped his cheeks, forcing his blue eyes to stare deeply into hers. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Don't leave me," he begged, tears in his eyes. He clasped onto her wrists, keeping her locked there.

"I don't plan on it." She watched, distraught, as the beginnings of her memories began playing in her mind. "The start is not that bad. In fact, it's beautiful. Seeing the whole of time play out before your eyes, feeling the happiness of the Time Lord as he makes his first journey, making those moments that belong only to you two - there is no greater feeling." But soon, he released her hand and bit down on his knuckles to stifle the scream, biting hard enough to draw blood. His other hand tightened around hers until she could not longer feel the blood flowing to her fingers. "Life is a pile good and bad things. But, sometimes, the bad things outweigh the good things."

"So alone," Ganger Doctor whispered, shuddering. "So cold."

"That'd be the museum," she told him, her voice growing thick with her own tears. She did not hear the Doctor's struggling behind them cease, and the remaining six watched the two in astonishment. "My Time Lord had just died, and Mum spiraled into a depression, taking me with her. It was horrible; I was trapped in that museum, unfeeling and unmoving. And it wasn't until another young Time Lord, as audacious and fantastic as the first, whisked me away so many centuries later under the pretense of borrowing me." Tabitha chuckled. "He never returned me, and I never regretted it."

Eyes opening, Ganger Doctor and Tabitha both found tears silently rolling down the other's face. "You're so old," he told her. Ganger Doctor gently wiped her face dry; he did not want to see her cry. "You've seen so much."

"I know." She turned her heads towards the real Doctor; he started at her unashamedly in shock. Jerking her head towards the door, the factory workers started and returned to barricading the door against the other Gangers, leaving Amy and the Doctor watching Tabitha and the Ganger Doctor. She offered the real Doctor a soft smile before turning back to his Ganger. "And, now, so have you. With over two thousand years of experience, what have you to say, Doctor?" He suddenly stepped away from her and gripped his head, fighting the throbbing.

"I think I liked it best when they were being noisy," Buzzer commented as Jimmy pressed his ear to the door, listening to three pairs of boots retreat down the corridor.

Coming up to the two, the Doctor put one hand on Tabitha' shoulder and the other on his Ganger's. "Are you alright?"

"Better," Ganger answered for them both. Smiling at Tabitha, she kissed his forehead before backing away, allowing the two Doctors to get properly acquainted.

"Doctor, we need you over here," Amy shouted by the door, her eyes never straying from the three oddities in the corner. Ganger Doctor, at the sound of the Scottish woman's voice, turned towards her with a bright smile, all previous pain and sorrow seemingly forgotten. He greeted her with a bright and cheery, 'Hello.' "Doctor!"

"Cybermats," the Doctor said.

"Do we have time for this?" Ganger Doctor asked, fidgeting on the spot and getting a feel for his new body.

"We make time. I'd like more proof you're me. Cybermats?" Rolling her eyes, the Scottish women turned to Tabitha for her, but she shook her head with an amused grin on her face. So, realizing she would get no help from the TARDIS child, Amy ran back to the door to aid in sealing it against the rogue Gangers in any way that she could. Tabitha leaned against a pillar and crossed her arms over her chest, listening partially to the two Doctors fire responses at one another in rapid succession. She also listened to the humans at the door, wishing they had guns to fight the Gangers with.

"Created by the Cybermen. The kill by feeding off brainwaves."

Tabitha sniffed the air as the door began to hiss and smoke. "Acid." On the opposite side, the rogue Gangers began pounding on the door while the two Doctors stood side-by-side, taking stock of the situation with similar, aloof airs. Pushing herself off the pillar and racing for the door, Tabitha dragged Jimmy and Amy as far away from the door as she could; they watched with growing dread at the acid that ate through the metal as if it were nothing more than wet paper.

"Amy and Rory may not trust both of us," Ganger Doctor revealed.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Inevitably."

"I'm so glad we're on the same-" the Doctor began.

"-Wavelength," Ganger Doctor finished. "You see, great minds-"

"Exactly. So, what's the plan?"

"Save them all, humans and Gangers."

"And Tabitha." The Doctor playfully winked at her, causing her to turn pink.

"Of course."

"Sound wonderful."

"Is that what you were thinking?"

"Yes, it's just so inspiring to hear me say it."

"I know!"

"If you two are done now, could you come and help us?" Tabitha demanded, but not impolitely. She held a metal crowbar in her hand, though not as firm as she could have, and her determined gaze set on the weakening door. The Doctors noticed that everyone had armed themselves, except Amy; she moved as far away from the door as possible, and the Doctors frowned; neither of them wanted more violence or deaths weighing down on their consciences as the formulated a plan to get everyone off the island alive. "Take your time, Doctors. We'll be here, fighting for our lives, and you two can just watch. Jump in at any time. And before you ask - no, this sarcasm is fairly recent, Ganger Doctor. I got it from Amelia."

"I was wondering where that future-seeing went," he stated, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I was almost worried that it'd suddenly vanish along with your verb tense mix-ups, which we found oddly adorable. But, ignore me; in fact, pretend I never said that. So, what now, Doctor?"

"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor." Simultaneously, the two Doctors walked towards the humans and TARDIS child, both saying, "Hello, sorry."

"But we had to establish a few..."

"Ground rules." Looking down at their feet, Amy noticed that the first Doctor, the original Doctor, the one who spoke, wore the heavy brown boots Tabitha and Ganger Jimmy had found him earlier. Ganger Doctor still wore the black shoes that Doctor had worn when they first arrived and when he scanned the Flesh.

"Formulate a..."

"Protocol."

"Protocol. Very posh."

"A protocol between us. Otherwise..."

"It gets horribly embarrassing."

"And potentially confusing."

"Okay, well I'm glad you solved the problem of confusing," Amy snapped sarcastically, which the Ganger was quick to point out and the real Doctor was just as quick to explain, matching grins on their identical faces. Tabitha tossed her crowbar to Buzzer before joining Amy and the two Doctors. Instinctively knowing which was which, Tabitha's hand enfolded itself in the Doctor's. Amy, however, looked between the three with open bewilderment; this had crossed into the realm of weird, and she traveled through time and space with her husband and a bowtie-wearing alien in a blue telephone box who recently gave 'birth' to a fully grown child! "Tabitha, how do you know which is the real Doctor? Other than their shoes."

"Breathe!" both suddenly told Amy.

"What?"

"We have to get you off this island," Ganger Doctor as means of explanation, serving to confuse Amy further.

"And the Gangers, too," Tabitha added. "I won't leave without them."

"Neither will I."

"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" Cleaves ground out through clenched teeth from her position by the door, weapon raised over her head. The Gangers continued to pound their way into the room, each hit bringing them that much closer to their prey. Standing the closest to the door, Jimmy flinched as the echo of each hit reverberated around the room. "They're trying to kill us!"

"They're scared," Tabitha and the Doctor said at the same time.

"Doctor, Tabitha, we're trapped in here," Amy told them, hoping they would show at least an ounce of the hopelessness and worry that the humans in the room felt.

"I don't think so." The Doctor joined the others near the door, his hand still surrounding Tabitha's. As he spun them around, staring at the flat ceiling above their heads, he continued. "The Flesh Bowl is fed by cabling from above." Her eyes following the lines of pipes and wires to the wall behind them where something caught her attention, and, slipping away from the Doctor, Tabitha silently treaded over to the panels leaning against it. Pulling them back and quietly lowering them to the floor, she nearly shouted for joy at the sight of the metal grate; this was their escape. Tabitha knelt down and she searched for any weak points where she could kick it in or yank it out but found none. Then, it hit her: the sonic screwdriver.

"But where are the earthing conduits?" Ganger Doctor asked. He tried not to divert any of the attention to Tabitha as she made her way towards the Doctor, slid her hand into his jacket pocket, and discreetly pulled out his sonic screwdriver with a victorious smile. Returning to the grate, the Ganger was glad when the Doctor began speaking again, his voice drowning out the buzz of the sonic as she worked on getting it unhinged from its casing. She worked quickly and efficiently, the Ganger was proud to notice.

"All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something, yes? With us?" The Doctor turned to find that Tabitha already had the grate open. "Yowza! An escape route!" He took the proffered sonic from her hand before leaning down a kissing her temple. "Tabitha, you are brilliant. You know, I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hang out with me."

"Do we tend to say 'yowza'?" Ganger Doctor questioned.

"That's enough, let it go, OK? We're under stress." As he gingerly hauled Tabitha to her feet, the Doctor ordered everyone into the duct, and they swiftly complied. After Tabitha slid into the duct after Cleaves, the Doctor slipped in behind her and asked her to hold the grate in place as he reconstructed the casing. He soon finished and with little time to spare as they jumped back when Ganger Cleaves' half-formed face appeared on the opposite side, standing in the room they previously occupied. The Doctor held Tabitha close to him, not knowing what power or skills the Ganger possessed. But she simply smirked at the TARDIS child.

"I said so. Didn't I, Tabitha?" Ganger Cleaves sneered. "When it comes down to it, you're against us and with them. What makes you any better?"

"You're wrong again, Cleaves." Tabitha's voice was firm with such determination that Ganger Cleaves was taken aback. She would have thought, after trying to kill them, that the girl would see them as the monsters the humans believed them to be. "I'm not going to give up. Tell Jimmy that for me, will you? We, the Doctor and I, are going to save most of you. I'm sorry." Before Ganger Cleaves could respond, Tabitha and the Doctor crawled down the duct after the others.

"Most?" the Doctor asked as they made their way; he kept his eyes averted from the front where Tabitha shuffled ahead of him, but his face was warm and pink. Their hands and knees crashing on the metal repeatedly echoed around them like thunder.

"Unfortunately. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you'll find out soon enough."

"Can you really see the future?"

"You haven't noticed?" she said over the noise. "Those off comments I made when we first met, my verb mix-ups, running into the warehouse with the Chimera - those would have never happened if I didn't have _some_ inkling of the future. I'm not psychic, though; I can't tell you what happens tomorrow. They're just moments, mostly from the immediate future. With all of time in my head, I'm surprised I'm even aware of the present, let alone the future. How else would I have known that your Ganger was going to ask about my sarcasm? Have you really not noticed?"

"I thought you were just a very good guesser." This drew a peal of laughter form the woman, and the Doctor grinned brightly. He loved hearing that laugh.

They came to the end of the duct, which emptied into a corridor in another part of the monastery. Ganger Doctor grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet while Amy went to the aid of the Doctor. As Ganger Doctor brushed the dirt from Tabitha's shirt, she smiled. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well."

"Excellent."

"The army will send a recon team" Buzzer said as the group strode down the corridor.

"We need to contact the mainland," Cleaves added.

"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy questioned. "They're still out there."

"Takes a long time to find someone in a maze," Tabitha said from the Ganger Doctor's side. As they walked through another doorway, Tabitha pressed her back against the corner and covered her nose with the neckline of her shirt. Ganger Doctor started, confused, until she said, "You may want to do the same thing. Get as much clean air as you can before it breaks." She could still see the confusion in his eyes, but he covered his nose with the crook of his elbow all the same. In the front of the group, she listened as the Doctor asked if they had a computer map, which could scan for Rory and Jen. Just as they finished speaking, they subsided into coughing fits, except Tabitha and Ganger Doctor.

"Doctor, you said earlier to breathe," Amy forced out between coughs.

"Very important, Pond. Breathe."

"Yeah, I'm struggling to."

"It's acid interacting with the stone," Tabitha explained from the corner. Ganger Doctor, having inhaled deeply before covering his nose, began coughing as well. "Creating an asphyxiant miasma - a choking gas! Extra heavy. I heard you say that, Doctors, in the future. Right now, we need to get above it as quickly as we can."

"The evac tower!" Cleaves exclaimed. "This way." With hurried steps, she led the group away from the gas. Tabitha rushed ahead to walk beside her, her mouth and nose still covered by her shirt and hand. But her body began to shake with small coughs. At the foot of a staircase, Tabitha leaned against the wall and waited until everyone had passed before going herself. In front of her, the Ganger Doctor took her hand in his, and they raced up the stairs together.

The Doctor and Amy were the first to enter the room, with the humans behind them and Tabitha and Ganger Doctor bringing up the rear, all coughing.

"I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something," Amy gasped as her lungs started to clear

"It's okay," Tabitha muttered, hitting her back to help expel the choking gas. The Doctors, seeing the computer and controls, immediately went to work on the panels in the back, trying to get power to the machine. "It's easing up." Suddenly, a bell chimed, and an ecstatic smile made its way on Jimmy's face.

"It's midnight. It's Adam's birthday," he told no one in general. "My son's five. Happy birthday, bud."

Cleaves moved behind the controls, watching the Doctors as they worked. One of the Doctors, she was not sure which, leaned against the controls, using the sonic, while the other was on the ground and working with wires. "Can you really get the power back?"

"There's always some power floating around," the standing Doctor told her before ducking down, just as the sitting Doctor stood and continued with, "Sticking to the wires, like bits of lint."

"Can you two stop finishing each others-" Amy began.

"Sentences?" The first Doctor came up, about to finish the sentence. "No probs." They both ducked down. Amy turned around to face Tabitha and gave her an _'are you really seeing this_?' look. Laughing, Tabitha sat in the chair in front of the ginger and spun around, allowing her head to lean back and her body to relax for the first time in what felt like days, but was, in reality, many hours. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to get lost in the rhythmic, dizzying movements, no longer listening to Amy worrying about the TARDIS sunk in acid or to the Doctors defending 'Sexy.' But the Scottish woman's next question caught her attention, and Tabitha stopped to lean forward, anticipating the Doctors' answer.

"How can you both be real?"

"Well..." the first Doctor said, "because we are. I'm the Doctor."

"And so am I!" The second Doctor sprang up with his arm raised like a primary school child. "We contain the knowledge of over nine hundred years of experience. We both wear the same bowtie, which is cool."

"Because bowties are..."

"And always will be."

"But," Amy stuttered, trying to make sense of the situation, "how did the Flesh read you? Because you weren't linked up to it."

"It happened after he scanned it, Amelia," Tabitha offered. Both Doctors came up and lean against the controls and watch the woman spin around, smiles on both of their faces. "Thus, a new, genuine Doctor. However, he was wrong in one aspect: Doctor One has just over nine hundred years of experience; Doctor Two has about two thousand because of my memories. Now, as to telling them apart, one Doctor is wearing brown boots and the other is wearing the original black shoes. That's the only difference because the Flesh could not register the external change caused by the acid." Tabitha came to a stop with her back facing the Doctors. "Ta-da! Simple as basic TARDIS mechanics."

"That satisfy you, Pond?" Ganger Doctor asked.

"Don't call me Pond, please." Both Doctors and Tabitha paused what they were doing to stare at Amy, intrigued by her response. "What?"

"Interesting. You definitely feel more affection for him than me."

"No, I... Look, you're fine and everything, but he is the Doctor. No offence. Being almost the Doctor is pretty damn impressive."

"He can't almost be the Doctor," Tabitha replied as she returned to her spinning. The second Doctor snapped and pointed at her. "Either he is the Doctor or he isn't; I say he is, but that's my personal opinion. Anyways, almost being the Doctor is like being no Doctor at all. You may as well call him..."

"Smith," Ganger Doctor finished for her. "John Smith."

"It'd certainly make things easier. Instead of calling you Doctor One and Two, or Ganger Doctor and Real Doctor. Can I you call you that from now on, Mr. Smith?" John Smith glared down at Tabitha, searching for any mockery in her green eyes. But all he saw was honesty. In her mind, he was the Doctor, but he was also someone entirely new, with so many opportunities open to him that the first Doctor could not experience. She saw him as a true, living, breathing individual. Also, it _would _make things easier. So, slowly, he nodded. "Fantastic. John Smith it is then. Isn't that a bit generic, though?"

"Communications is a go-go!" the first Doctor exclaimed. Everyone crowded around the screen as Cleaves fired up the computer. Tabitha rolled out of the way so they could have more room, and one of the Doctors - she assumed it was Ganger Doctor - came to stand beside her. The first Doctor watched as he bent down and whispered something in Tabitha's ear.

"Find Rory," Amy begged. "Show me the scanny, tracky screen. Come on, Rory, let's be having you."

"There's no sign of him anywhere."

"Come on, baby. Show yourself."


	9. The Almost People 2

**Dooooooooooooo Weeeeeeeeee Ooooooooooooooo! OooooooooOoooooooOoooooooo! Sorry, I had to do it XD**

**I do not own Doctor Who.**

**The Doctor says he wants _A_ mate. You ain't matin' with Donna, sunshine! But here's Chapter Eight!**

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"And Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following code word. I'm typing it, in case they're listening in." Tabitha watched Cleaves as she typed in the code. Green eyes followed the rapidly moving fingers, forming the word in her mind. Tabitha tried not to smirk as she tucked that piece of information in her mind for later. Satisfied, Tabitha leaned back in her chair, allowing Ganger Doctor to slowly spin her around. Suddenly, her back stiffened as she received an image of the immediate future. The Ganger Doctor, sensing her tension, stopped her once she face him and raised an inquiring eyebrow. As she curled her finger towards herself, the Ganger Doctor knelt down in front of her.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked silently, wary of the others listening. But they were all focused on their contact with the mainland and finding Rory and Jen.

"Probably."

"If Cleaves could come up with a passcode, couldn't her Ganger figure it out just as easily? Especially if it's one she uses often." His smile sunk like a stone in a lake; apparently, the thought had not occurred to him. "Obviously, you weren't." She caught his arm just as he passed her on his way to the control, most likely to reveal their blunder, and allowed herself to be pulled along momentarily. He turned back to her with confusion in his eyes. "We can't tell them. Otherwise, she'll change it, and then all the Gangers _will_ die, including you. I can't let that happen."

"So you'd let the humans die?"

"No, I'd let the Gangers live." A short, silent battle of wills ensued. Ganger Doctor could see a fierce persistence in her eyes; she would not back down, even fight against them if it meant the Gangers had a chance to live long, peaceful lives. Sighing, for he knew he would not win this battle, Ganger Doctor returned to spinning her around. She muttered a quick thanks.

"We need to get out of here," said Buzzer.

"We're not leaving without them." Buzzer turned her gaze upon the dark-haired woman in the chair, one of her legs crossed over the other and her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes, usually so jovial and friendly and amiable, were cold towards the humans who were so willing to throw away another life. Behind her, Ganger Doctor stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, his gaze shifting back and forth between Tabitha, the humans, and the Doctor. Both Time Lords tried not to smile in light of the tense situation, but they could not stifle the warm swelling of pride in their chests. This girl was a woman after their own hearts.

"I want 'em found, too," Buzzer admitted, "but it's about casualties, innit? Can't be helped."

"Unfortunately, that is all too true, but I am not going to let that stop me." None of the humans, except Amy who sat at the console with the original Doctor, could maintain the connection; and, one by one, they returned to rummaging through on of the crates in the room. Leaning against her chair, Tabitha allowed the Ganger Doctor to spin her around to face him.

"Why do you argue with them?" he asked. "They're not going to listen to you."

Smiling, she replied as she grabbed her hand, "Because, Doctor, I am and always be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of impossible dreams." Her voice blended with the Doctor's as he claimed the same, spinning Amy around at the controls. She stopped with her back against the control, staring intently at Ganger Doctor and Tabitha conversing silently on the opposite side of the room, and frowned. Amy watched Tabitha spin herself around, using the Doctor's hand, as if she were a ballerina and he her partner. How comfortable she was in the Ganger's presence made the Scottish worry for Tabitha's safety. On the Ganger Doctor's face, there was a soft smile and, when she looked back at the Doctor, she could see the same smile on his face as he turned away from Tabitha and his Ganger.

Amy could not understand what Tabitha saw that was so honorable in the Gangers; they were trying to destroy the humans and take over their lives as their own, and the TARDIS child wanted to protect them?_ Against_ the humans? It made her wonder what went through Tabitha's mind and what she truly thought about her and Rory. Not being human cause Tabitha to relate more with the Gangers than Amy or Cleaves, and that caused Amy to doubt her innocent persona. What was Tabitha truly hiding beneath those innocent eyes and that playful smile?

And then there was the Doctor's Ganger. He had taken to Tabitha as easily as the Doctor could. He spoke to her as the Doctor did and even looked at her the same way. However, he may have looked and acted like the Doctor, the Ganger Doctor could never be another Doctor."

And Amy was quick to make that known. "You know, really, there can only be one." Tabitha's head snapped up at those words, sadness in her gaze, but Amy was speaking to the original Doctor.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," she muttered, nudging his arm. "Carry on. Be amazing." Her smile faded, and Tabitha watched as the Scottish woman crept towards the wall, gasping at something the TARDIS child or either of the Doctors could not see. She turns to speak to the original Doctor, but her mouth snapped shut. When Amy glanced at the wall once again, what she had seen had apparently vanished, as her face dropped into a confused frown. Tabitha, as silent as a mouse, walked up to the ginger and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Despite her precautions, Amy jumped and spun around. "Tabby, you scared me."

"Is everything alright?"

"Um... yeah. Fine. It's fine." Tabitha could see it was far from fine, but she did not pry. With one final pat to the ginger's shoulder, Tabitha made to return to her chair when Amy called her back.

"There's a woman I keep seeing, a woman with an eye patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me." Amy shook her head. "I know I sound crazy, but-"

"I believe you." Staring over the woman's shoulder, Tabitha stared at the wall where Amy had seen the eye patch woman. Neither of them noticed the second Doctor doing the same. "It may be nothing, but at the same time... I don't think you should tell the Doctor about this. He has enough on his mind, and he may just wave it off. I'm not saying that this isn't important, far from it. But we have no clue who that woman is, Amelia, or what she may want with you." Tabitha carefully moved a strand of ginger hair from Amy's terrified eyes. "Forget about Eye Patch Lady. She can't get to you, despite being everywhere. Right now, with what's going on, she's nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing." Tabitha pulled Amy into a hug. When they moved apart, the Scottish woman said, "Sorry. I'm just throwing all this on you. I really _shouldn't _be worrying."

"Hey!" Jimmy shouted, causing everyone to jump. His eyes were fixated on the door the second Doctor ran through, clutching his head in pain. "Hold on!"

"Don't let him go," Cleaves added.

"Leave it to me," offered Amy before running after him. Tabitha smiled before taking Amy's former place next to the Doctor by the controls, swaying back and forth in the spinning chair. He grinned when he saw her. "This has gone to madness, don't you think? Gangers and humans trying to destroy one another, Rory and Jen missing, Amelia distrusting your own Ganger - which I think is ridiculous. What do you think's going to happen, Doctor?" He did not answer, focused on something beyond. "Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think is going to happen?"

"You tell me," he told her as he spun to face her. "You're the psychic, after all." Just as he intended, Tabitha chuckled, shaking her head.

She really was remarkable, the Doctor mused. Being part of the TARDIS, they were connected in a way Amy and Rory would never be to him. Tabitha could tell him what he was thinking, feeling, about to do or say. He had always said that the TARDIS was his constant companion, his best friend, the only one who would never leave him. However, the TARDIS could not talk, walk, or go on adventures with him like his companions could, and that is what always brought him down. How could he have a best friend he could never speak with? It was worse than having a pet rock named Rocky, and the Doctor knew that from experience.

When they met Idris, the Doctor, though bewildered at first, began to wonder what would happen if she traveled with him, as a companion. She would have been able to see the world in ways she never imagined... if the TARDIS Matrix had not destroyed her. When Tabitha came, the Doctor wondered if she would end up like Idris, disintegrating into nothingness. But Tabitha had come _from _the TARDIS itself. She was a part of the beautiful machine: if it died, so did Tabitha. He doubted that that would ever happen, but the Doctor would enjoy every moment he had with Tabitha. She was his wish come true: being able to talk, physically, with the TARDIS. Yes, he would relish the time he had with Tabitha. Brilliant, marvelous, spectacular Tabitha.

"I'm no psychic, and you're staring at me," she said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What're you thinking about?"

Not answering, the Doctor smirked and turned back to the controls. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, watching the spiky-haired woman out of the corner of his eye. But she was not longer looking at him; her attention was diverted towards the door where Amy and his Ganger had vanished, muttering "Why?" The Doctor was going to ask about her cryptic question when Amy barged into the room, flustered and harried.

"Keep him away from me!" she screeched. Ganger Doctor, penitent, trailed in behind her. He immediately walked up to the other Doctor while Tabitha tended to the shaken ginger. "Tabitha, he's a _thing_. Worse! He's a Ganger. You can't trust him."

"Says who?"

"He hurt me," Amy told her, as if that were explanation enough. "He shoved me up against a wall and screamed in my face; he couldn't even control himself until I said he was hurting me! I'm sorry, but he's just like the other Gangers."

"Amy," Ganger Doctor said, drawing the women's gazes. "I'm sorry."

"No! You keep away. We can't trust you."

"Amelia," Tabitha hissed venomously under her breath, like a mother scolding her unruly child. "It appears you can connect with the Flesh." Ganger Doctor nodded. "I felt it, too, but not as strongly as you did, evidently." Tabitha gestured to Amy, and Ganger Doctor looked down at his shuffling feet like a shamed child. "You're beginning to understand what it needs; it's much more powerful than we thought. That may be a good thing. We could connect to the Gangers and talk them into some sort of truce, find out what they want-"

"What HE wants!" Amy said, making Ganger Doctor feel worse. "He's the Flesh!"

"YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!" Tabitha shouted. The room fell into a shocked silence, even the Doctors. They had never seen the woman so angry; a fire deep in her green eyes raged. "He is the Doctor, and the Doctor is him. The Doctor and I explained this earlier: he may have come from the Flesh, but he IS the Doctor, every part of him - end of that story. And now he can connect with the Flesh, with the other Gangers. They're in pain and angry, and they want revenge. He knows what they want and can find out what they're going to do, and you say that that's a bad thing?" No one answered, but Buzzer stepped forward, prepared to use force. "We can trust him, just as we trust the Doctor. There is no difference between them." Standing by the Ganger Doctor, Tabitha laced her fingers with his. "I trust him, entirely."

"You were also very chummy with our Gangers," Jimmy countered, coming to stand with Buzzer, offer extra support. "How can we trust _you, _if you're so keen on helping them? Maybe you're wanting to lead us straight to them. You said so yourself: they won't hurt you. They won't hurt your pet Ganger, either." He jerked his chin towards the Doctor's Ganger.

"Don't be so absurd," both Doctors said, fearing for Tabitha's safety.

"Sorry, Doctor," Cleves responded to the original, making a point of ignoring his Ganger. "We have no issue with you. But when it comes to your Ganger and his friend... Buzzer?"

"Sure, boss." Buzzer pulled up a barrel and forced the Ganger Doctor into it, while Jimmy wrenched Tabitha away form him and pushed her into her chair. "Take a seat, mate." He rolled her up next to Ganger Doctor. Satisfied, Jimmy and Buzzer stood above them, acting the part of guards. Tabitha glared up at the men, wondering how their Gangers could have been so much kinder to her than the humans they came from. Leaning back, she slowly crossed her arms over her chest, never removing her gazes from the men, who quickly grew uncomfortable under her scrutiny. After muttering something in Buzzer's ear, Jimmy walked over to the controls.

Tabitha whispered to the Ganger Doctor, "He can't take us both," causing him to laugh.

"Do you really want to risk it?"

"Not really."

"Oi!" Buzzer snapped. "Stop your whispering!" The Ganger Doctor saluted, and the two prisoners watched as the four near the controls struggled to contact their rescuers and examine the maps for Gangers or Rory and Jen. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned Cleaves across from him, the woman massaging her temples with a grimace on her face. He explained how the sonic could trace the Gangers as they gave off a slightly different signal, resulting in Amy tossing back her sentiments towards the Ganger Doctor.

"Oh, so the sonic knows Gangers are different. So the other Doctor is different."

"He is the Doctor."

"Not to me. I can tell."

"Are you sure you're not just prejudiced, Amelia?" Tabitha called from across the room. The ginger turned her heated gaze onto the TARDIS child sitting so calmly with Ganger Doctor. "How can you tell the difference, if the others can't? Even the Doctor needs his sonic to sense the signal. What makes you so special?" This was typical behavior of the companions, Tabitha knew. Each one thought they knew the Doctor better than anyone when, in reality, they knew nothing about him at all. But she did not say any of that. Tabitha did not tell Amy that _she,_ not the Scottish woman, knew the Doctor better than anyone.

"I just know," Amy replied coldly, but it did not faze Tabitha in the slightest. "He and I have been through too much." She pointed to the Doctor near the controls. "He's my Doctor. End of." The two women tried to stare down the other. But, with over a thousand years behind her back, it was hard for Amy to keep the connection, and the ginger turned away. Tabitha smirked.

"Hey, there's a camera up." Buzzer pointed at the screen. "We've got a visual."

"That's Rory and Jennifer." Tabitha could hear both the hopefulness and the jealousy in Amy's voice. As Cleaves tracked their movements, determining their destination, Amy said, "Let's go get them." Everyone's eyes landed on the Doctor, waiting for some sort of command. Instead, he flipped his sonic before tossing it across the room to Ganger Doctor, who snatched it deftly out of midair and tucked it into his jacket. "Hang on."

"We can't let him go," Cleaves argued. "Are you crazy?"

"Am I crazy, Doctor?" the first Doctor demanded.

"Well, you did once plumb your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet," the Ganger Doctor answered at the same time Tabitha deadpanned, "Yes."

"He can't go rescue them. I'm going." Amy's gaze once again found the Ganger Doctor and Tabitha, both standing from their chairs and preparing to venture out of the evacuation tower. "She can't go with him, either. Tabitha's already made up her mind about whose side she's on. We can't let them leave." Tabitha did not miss Amy's use of her full name; the ginger was livid with her.

"Do you know," the Doctor began, his voice strangely commanding as he stood and towered over Amy, "I want him to go, and with Tabitha." He stared deep into the ginger's eyes, and Amy knew that nothing she said or did would sway him. In fact, it would make her appear less in his eyes. The Doctor was tired of all these humans trying to make him see as they did, and he would not let another argue with him, not even his companion. No one would stop him. "And I'm rather adamant." Next to Ganger Doctor and Tabitha, Buzzer offered to accompany them in place of Amy. As the three left, the Doctor and his Ganger shared a stare. The message in it was all too clear: _Keep her safe. _The Ganger nodded before leaving the room.

Turning back to the ginger, the Doctor said, "I can't explain it to you now, but I need you to trust him. Can you do that for me, Amy?"

"And what if you're wrong?"

* * *

Running out of the monastery, the Ganger Doctor following a trail the sonic had picked up, he stated, "I'm getting something."

"Is it human?" Buzzer asked. Since the moment he left the evacuation tower, he regretted coming along. The Ganger Doctor could turn on him at any second, and he knew Tabitha would be no help; she would side with the Ganger. But, his boss had a job for him, and he would see it through until the end.

"Yes, it's human, but it's fading. It's fading." He voice grew more panicked as the moments passed. "This is bad. Fading is very..." The Doctor faded into silence as they rounded the corner and found a body lying motionless on the ground. It was Jennifer Lucas. Tabitha knelt by the woman, turning her head so she could press two fingers to her neck, searching desperately for a pulse. Once again, they had come too late, and Tabitha tried not to cry. Two people lost in less than two days. "...bad. Tabitha?"

"She's dead. She was hanging onto the edge of life and just... slipped away, seconds before we arrived. I'm going to guess that Jen's been out here for hours." Tabitha stroked the dead woman's dark hair from her face. The Doctor sat down next to her to wrap an arm around the distressed woman. "Oh, Jennifer. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve this." Her hand suddenly stopped, and her back stiffened as a realization struck. "If this is the real Jen, and she's been out here for hours..."

"Rory's in trouble," the Doctor finished. "We need to find him." As soon as the words left his mouth, Buzzer smacked the Doctor on the back of the head with his torch. The Doctor fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and Tabitha was quickly at his side, attempting to wake him up.

"Sorry, pal. It's boss's orders." Buzzer, grasping Tabitha by the upper arm, hauled her to her feet. "Us and them, innit?" When the Doctor did not immediately rouse, Buzzer began dragging Tabitha away form his side, but she struggled, her arm aching as he kept a firm grip. "Come on, girl," Buzzer grunted. Suddenly, Tabitha spun around, her arm leading and caught him in the face with a sound right hook. Pressing his hand beneath his nose, he released her, and Tabitha returned to the Doctor's side. "What the hell?!" Buzzer pulled his fingers away, which were stained red. "You broke my nose!"

"Don't you dare think you're going to take me away from him."

"I'd say sorry for this then," Without another word, Buzzer struck her across the face with the torch, and Tabitha fell to the ground next to the Doctor, unconscious. "But then I'd be lying." After shooting the two a final, hateful glare, Buzzer ran back into the monastery, leaving them to their fate.

* * *

**Hello, my lovely and loyal readers! (If I still have any)**

**Please remember to review and favorite and follow. Not only do they make me smile, they also give me more of an incentive to write.**


	10. The Almost People 3

**I want to give a BIG thanks to all of your who have reviewed and favorited and are following this story! Every time I get a message that says "(Insert Name Here) is following Children of the TARDIS," I grin like a fool. And that is because of all you amazing, spectacular, brilliant, fantastic, loyal, wonderful readers. I hope that this story is still capturing your attention and that you enjoy this chapter and the many to come.**

**As you all already know, or should know, I do not own Doctor Who whatsoever. I only own our dear TARDIS child, Tabitha, who I have come to take much pleasure in writing.**

**Hey, if you look beneath this sentence, there is a line. That was rather pointless. Here's Chapter Nine!**

* * *

Hours passed, and the Doctor, groaning, slowly roused from unconsciousness. Opening his eyes (he had never been so grateful for the night prior to then), he found the remaining Gangers standing over him. Well, those of Cleaves and Dicken were; Ganger Jimmy was crouched next to him, gingerly gathering something in his arms. "Got anything for a sore head?" He turned his head to see Tabitha limp in Jimmy's arms, and his hearts stopped. _He asked me to protect her... I hope she wakes up before we meet with him again. _He did not want to be on the receiving end of the original Doctor's wrath. After having nine hundred years of the Doctor's memories implanted into his mind, the Doctor knew all to well what to expect, and he pitied those who stood in the Oncoming Storm's path.

"This is how they'll always treat us," Cleaves responded. "Do you see now? After all, you're one of us... Doctor."

Tucking his sonic into his jacket pocket but never removing his eyes from the unconscious Tabitha, he responded distractedly, "Call me Smith. John Smith." He took the hand Dicken offered and pulled himself off the ground. As the Doctor brushed the dirt from his jacket, he could not help but as Ganger Jimmy, "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, just out." But, despite his nonchalant answer, the Doctor could see the anger in the set of the other man's back and in his answer had been said through clenched teeth. Ganger Jimmy's gloved hands tightened over Tabitha's arm and legs; the Doctor carefully removed the woman from his vice grip and allowed her to rest in his own arms, her head lolling against his shoulder. "Sorry. I just... I can't believe they would hurt _her_. What has she done other than defended us?"

"But that's just it, isn't it?" the Doctor countered. "What else did she have to do other than defend us?" The four Gangers made their way into the monastery, following Cleaves' lead. "She only tried to help. Tabitha doesn't deserve this."

"Do any of us?" The Doctor did not answer. Instead, the two shared a stare that held the answer: _I don't know. _The continued to follow Cleaves deeper and deeper into the monastery until they were outside the acid room, Ganger Jennifer and Rory standing in front of the door, her hand wrapped firmly around his upper arm, and yelling at the trapped humans and Time Lord within, one pleading and the other condemning. Ganger Cleaves gestured for them to go elsewhere, leaving Jen and Rory and her with their enemies. Nodding, they left the acid room, following Ganger Jimmy into the dining hall where Ganger Buzzer's body still lay beneath Tabitha's leather jacket; interestingly enough, he had not returned to Flesh. Apologizing to his comrade's corpse, Ganger Jimmy removed the jacket, folded it up, and set it on the table. As delicately as possible, the Doctor lowered Tabitha into the table, using the folded jacket as a pillow. With Gangers Jen and Cleaves gone, the others could do nothing but wait. So they sat around the table, not even noticing the light of sunrise shining through the windows.

Not long after, Gangers Jen and Cleaves strolled in, following after the fuming Rory. Upon seeing the unconscious TARDIS child, Rory's anger faded and he rushed to his side. "What happened to her?" Hands cupping her face, Rory gently prodded her head and turned it this way and that, searching for injuries he prayed were not present.

"Buzzer happened," the Doctor answered stonily, watching the human. "He knocked her out."

"You see, Rory," Ganger Jennifer began, a smirk on her face. She may have been distrusting of anyone not Ganger (other than Rory), but Tabitha, Jimmy's 'Tabbers,' had fought for them the entire time, according to Ganger Jimmy, working on making the humans see the Gangers as real people. Ganger Jen could not hold a grudge against her after seeing her so pitifully lying on the table. "They're never going to understand, like you do. They even turned against one of their own. The others will stop at _nothing_ until we are all destroyed, you and the girl with us. We need to protect each-"

"You lied to me!" Rory yelled, turning on Ganger Jen. But she was unfazed by his sudden outburst. "You created another Ganger just to trick me! You tricked me. When I found you, you were both Flesh, and you tricked me into trusting you!" He calmed as he realized what that meant. "Jen's dead, isn't she?"

"She's gone, Rory," the Doctor answered from his spot next to Tabitha's head. "Gone." Everyone fell silent as the rescue shuttle announced their arrival.

"The humans will be melted, as they deserve," continued Ganger Jen. "And then the factory will be destroyed. Once we get to the mainland, the real battle begins. The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor. Join the revolution." She snapped her fingers and pointed at the Doctor playfully.

Rory could not take it anymore. "I've got to go and get them out." Just as Rory was to purposefully stride from the room, the Doctor jumped from his seat, pushed Rory back, and stood by the other Gangers, Rory looking on in betrayal. "Doctor, you can't just let them die."

The Doctor raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. "Ring! Ring!" Rory stepped forward, about to plead with the Doctor, when he pushed the human back again. "Ring! Ring!" Suddenly, the building shook, forcing everyone to their knees. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, Rory tried to push past the Gangers, to no avail. The Doctor was soon back on his feet, pointing a threatening finger at the human's chest. "Stay!"

"OK." He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"Doctor," Tabitha groaned as she woke up. Rory, forgetting the Gangers intense stare on him, hurried over to her, helping her into a sitting position. The girl rubbed her eyes until she could see the human's relieved face in front of her. "Rory... oh, my head." She cradled her face in her hands. "What happened? Where are we?" He struggled to answer, not wanting to reveal that he had betrayed the others to their apparent deaths. But Tabitha could read the guilt as easily on his face as she could read it on the Doctor's. "Rory, what's happened? Where are the others?" She clutched onto his jacket. "Tell me. Now."

Rory opened his mouth to, reluctantly, tell her the truth, but a ringing phone cut him off. "Ah, that'll be the phone," the Doctor commented, pointing out the obvious. "Somebody get the phone. Jimmy, get the phone. No? Fine, I'll get the phone. Stay put." Pulling his sonic from his coat pocket, he flicked it on, and a hologram of a young boy appeared across the room. "Ah! Hello, Adam, I'm the Doctor. Well, Other Doctor. Or Smith. It's complicated and boring. Anyways, who cares? It's your birthday!"

As the boy cheered and the Doctor continued his conversation with him, Rory and Ganger Jimmy helped Tabitha off the table. She whispered to Ganger Jimmy, "He's absolutely adorable." Ganger Jimmy could not help but nod, his voice lost. He started when Adam asked to speak to his father.

"You'll do, Jimmy," the Doctor said. "What does the other Jimmy matter now? You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting." But Ganger Jimmy did not move, not even when another quake struck and Adam asked for him again. After a moment and shaking his head, Ganger Jimmy shifted all of Tabitha's weight onto Rory and fled the room.

"You've tricked him into an act of weakness, Doctor," Ganger Jen snapped.

"No, I've helped him into an act of humanity." The Doctor turned to the other Gangers, some staring after Ganger Jimmy but all with doubt etched on their faces. "Anyone else like the sound of that? Act of humanity." He could not stop the grin as Gangers Cleaves and Dicken worked to save the others in the acid room. Ganger Dicken left the room at Ganger Cleaves' order of draining the acid, much to Ganger Jen's horror and frustration; she argued with Ganger Cleaves, continually vowing revenger against the humans. "It doesn't have to be about revenge. It can be so much better than that." But she would not listen and ran from the dining hall.

"Daddy," the hologram called. "Where's my daddy?"

"Hello," Tabitha called, moving over to speak to Adam with Rory and the Doctor watching her. "I'm not your daddy, but I can I talk to you?"

Adam nodded. "You're pretty."

"Thank you, Adam," she laughed. "You're daddy's told me all about you and your mommy. Happy birthday, by the way! You're five today, such a big boy. My name is Tabitha... Smith. Tabitha Smith. And your daddy and I work together at the factory." The boy jumped up and down. "Do you miss him? Is your mother there?"

"He never stops talking about him," a feminine voice responded. A beautiful blonde woman waltzed into the picture and knelt next to Adam. "So you work with my husband?" It was Tabitha's turn to nod. "Are you the one who makes the acid suits?" Again, she nodded. "Thank you. Because of you, my husband can come home and celebrate Adam's birthday." Her voice was thick with tears of happiness, and Tabitha smiled at the woman. "Can we talk to him? I haven't had a chance to properly speak to him in a while. Where's Jimmy?"

"I'm right here," Jimmy's voice called from the doorway. Tabitha spun around, frowning when she realized that it was Ganger Jimmy who answered. He clapped Tabitha's shoulder as he passed, his eyes pleading for her not to say a word. "Hey, sunshine! What are you up to?"

"Opening all my presents." Tabitha left to give Ganger Jimmy his moment with his family. Seeing the two Doctors standing in the corner, Tabitha ran up to them and wrapped her arms around their necks. Each pressed a kiss to her cheeks. As she pulled away, Tabitha stared down at their feet: one still wearing black shoes and the other wearing boots. Turning to the one in black shoes, a cheeky grin on her face, Tabitha asked, "How is your head? Buzzer hit it rather hard."

"My head?" he asked, bewildered. Next to him, Ganger Doctor grinned. The TARDIS child was much brighter than the Doctor assumed. He noticed with some amusement that she had put her leather jacket back on her body, it's rightful place.

"I'm not stupid... Doctor," she whispered, causing Ganger Doctor to laugh and the original Doctor to stare at her in astonishment. "Did you really think I was going to fall for you two switching shoes?" Tabitha chuckled and looked to the Ganger Doctor. "After traveling with him for nearly nine hundred years, he should know that I'm going to be two steps ahead of him almost always. I know your mind, Doctor, and all the crazy thoughts bouncing around in your head. Get used to it." A moment of silence passed before the three laughed.

"So what do we do now?" Ganger Jimmy asked, his face glowing with happiness after speaking to his family.

"Now we need to move." Grabbing Tabitha's hand, the Doctor ran with her from the room, the others following. They ran through the halls of the monastery, heading to an unspecified location known only to the Doctor. Alarms sounded and warning lights flashed from their perches on the wall. As they turned the corner, the Doctor and Tabitha came to a shuddering stop at the sight of Ganger Jen standing in front of them. But her body was misshapen, elongated, and she continued to change right before their eyes until she was prowling towards them on all fours like a beast. "Run. Run." But everyone was paralyzed with fear.

It was not until Tabitha had jerked him back the way they came, hurrying down the halls screaming "RUN!" did everyone move into another room, Dicken and his Ganger closing the door behind them. Above, the ceiling groaned ominously. "The roof's going to give."

"We have bigger problems, Miss Tabitha," Ganger Dicken's panicked voice replied. "This door doesn't lock."

"No, but the far one does." Tabitha looked on in horror as Dicken ran as fast as he could to the far door, each step taking him closer and closer to Ganger Jennifer. As she watched, a sense of foreboding hung over her until she plunged her hand into the Doctor's jacket, grabbed his sonic, and chased Dicken down the corridor.

"Tabitha!" both Doctor's shouted. Rory and Ganger Jimmy held them back. "No!"

She arrived just as Dicken stumbled back, the detached door handle in his hand, staring down at it as if it had betrayed him, before looking up at Ganger Jen slowly making her way towards him. "What're you doing here?" he demanded as Tabitha wrenched the handle from his hand. Holding it back up to the door, Tabitha switched on the sonic, and it began to reattach the handle to the door. "How- Never mind. You pull; I push." Together, the two managed to close the door just as Ganger Jen attacked, them on one side and her on the other. Leaning against the door, panting with exertion, Dicken asked, "That's not going to hold her, is it?"

"We need to get to the others. _Now._" Tabitha grabbed his hand and pulled her after him towards the room, not looking back as the door exploded inward and Ganger Jen appeared at the end of the corridor. As soon as they were in the room, Dicken moved to help his Ganger block the door while the Doctors wrapped Tabitha in a bone crushing hug. "Not the time!" Breaking free of their hold, she helped in keeping Ganger Jen on the opposite side of the door.

"What's that noise?" Amy asked as the building began to rumble.

Suddenly, the TARDIS, in all her bluest blue glory, fell into the room from the ceiling with a deafening BANG, causing them all to jump in surprise. "Oh! She does like to make an entrance!" The Doctor opened the door and ordered everyone to enter the time machine. "Everyone move!" They all made to move, when the door rattled behind them. Tabitha, Ganger Cleaves, and the Doctor remained with their back against the door as Ganger Jimmy hurried to the safe haven, Cleaves following.

"Now's our chance," Amy told the Doctor.

But he had other ideas. "I have to stay. Hold this door closed. Give you time to dematerialize."

"Oh, don't be crazy. Okay, what happens to you?"

"Well," Tabitha said for him through gritted teeth, struggling to hold back the door with the Doctor and Ganger Cleaves as Ganger Jen slammed herself bodily against the door, "the factory's about to explode, and he's the only one who can stop her. As much as I hate to say this, he offering to stay behind and give us a chance to escape."

"Or perhaps you think I should stay instead... Mr. Smith," the Doctor called.

"No, of course not," Amy gasped, coming up to stand by him. "But look, this man, I've flown with him, you know? And you are amazing, and, yeah, I misjudged you, but you're not him. I'm sorry."

"Amelia," Tabitha cut in. "They swapped shoes. That's the Doctor, and this idiot right her-" She inclined her head towards Ganger Doctor at her side. "-is the Flesh." At the ginger's disbelieving expression, Tabitha continued. "They had to know if they were truly the same. Amelia, it was vital that they learn about the Flesh, and they could only do that through your eyes. And, before you ask, I knew which one was which all along, and I'm sorry for not telling you earlier." Amy glanced back at the Ganger Doctor before throwing herself into his arms.

"I never thought possible."

"What?" he asked.

Pulling away, she said, "You're twice the man I thought you were." Smiling, the Ganger Doctor whispered something into her ear that sufficed to severely confuse the Scottish woman. But she had no time to ponder his cryptic message as Ganger Jen pushed herself against the door once more. "Come on, Tabitha."

"Well," Ganger Doctor told her, "my death arrives, I suppose."

"You could survive this, you know." Discreetly, Tabitha pressed the cool metal of the sonic into his palm and curled his fingers around it. "Your molecular memory. This doesn't have to be the end. But you knew that already, didn't you?" She grinned as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Good luck. And you too, Miranda Cleaves, since I know you plan on staying behind." Winking at Ganger Doctor, Tabitha pushed herself off the door and ran for the safety of the TARDIS. The doors closed behind her, Amy, and the Doctor, and soon the machine was flying through the Vortex and away from the factory.

As the Doctor piloted his beloved TARDIS, only one noticed his mouth pressed into a firm line, the rigidness of his back, and the sadness in his faraway gaze. So Tabitha came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laid her head against his back, and listened to the rhythm of his twin hearts. He visibly relaxed at her touch, his hand coming down to cover hers. He could feel the muscles in her cheeks pull her mouth into a soft smile, and Tabitha nuzzled her face into his jacket.

"The energy from the TARDIS will stabilize the Gangers for good," the Doctor announced to Rory, Amy, Dicken, Cleaves, Tabitha, Ganger Jimmy, and Ganger Dicken. "They're people now."

"And what about me?" demanded Cleaves, tapping a finger to her temple, indicating her clot. "I still have this."

"Ah, that's not a problem." He tried to moved, but Tabitha was still latched onto him. "Tabitha, if you could let go of me, dear." Which she did with a chuckled. The Doctor rummaged around a compartment set into the console, searching for something; a red balloon floated from the compartment, and Tabitha caught the string before it was out of her reach "I have something for that. It's small and red and tastes like burnt onions, ha!" He emerged victorious, vial in hand, and tossed it to Cleaves. "But it'll get rid of your blood clot. Happy endings."

Their first stop was on a beach, the sky above cloudy and grey, but a young boy in a red jacket stood on the shore. From the TARDIS doors, Tabitha released the balloon and watched with a smile as it floated passed the boy. He spun around, and Ganger Jimmy, now real Jimmy, gathered Adam into his arms and hoisted him into the air. As Jimmy spun him around, the Doctor came to Tabitha's side. The two shared a smile before dematerializing, leaving Jimmy with his family.

Next, the TARDIS appeared in the lobby of a rather tall building. They all emerged from the TARDIS, heading towards the main door. Cleaves stopped just beyond the door; she could hear the muffled, frantic conversations of news reporters just beyond the door. "You really want us to do this?" She glanced back at the Doctor and Tabitha, who just walked out of the TARDIS, hand linked, though neither seemed aware or ready to pull away. Seeing them standing together brought a soft smile to her face that she fought back. They may not have realized how close they were, but it was painfully obvious to everyone else.

"Your company's telling the world that the situation is over," the Doctor told her, his thumb rubbing circles over the back of Tabitha's hand. "You need to get in there and tell them that the situation's only begun. Make them understand what they're doing to the Flesh. Make them stop; use the fact that there are two of you to your advantage. Remember, former Ganger Dicken, people are good, truly good. Don't hate them, will you?

"How can I?" Ganger Dicken asked. He stood next to the original Dicken, both arms crossed over identical chests. "I'm one of them now."

"Yeah, and just remember, people died. Don't let that be in vain. Make what you say in that room count."

"And, please," added Tabitha, "don't start with 'the Gangers went rogue.' In fact, stay as far away from those exact words as possible. But let them know everything: when you first started mistreating the Gangers and how, what the Doctors and I told you, what happened on your side of the 'war' after the solar storm. _Everything_. They need to know, and they need to stop it. Because the Doctor and I can't always be there. So, go in there, be human, be brilliant, and save the world in this small way." Tabitha grinned encouragingly, giving the two humans and one former Ganger the courage to walk through the doors, flashing lights from cameras and questions assaulting them immediately.

Amy walked up to the two and gently nudged the Doctor's shoulder. "You okay?"

He did not answer. Well, he did, just not in the way she or Rory expected. "I said breathe, Pond, remember? Well, breathe."

"Why?"

"Breathe." Suddenly, with a sharp gasp, Amy doubled over in pain, one hand clutching onto the Doctor's sleeve and her free arm wrapping around her stomach. Rory came sprinting out of the TARDIS and to his wife's side just as Tabitha was slinging one of the ginger's arms around her shoulder. "Get her to the TARDIS." Together, the three of them help the struggling to breathe Amy into the time machine. As the doors swung shut behind them, Rory and Tabitha remained by Amy's side as the Doctor walked up to the console platform.

"Doctor, what's happening to her?" demanded Rory. His fingers ran through his wife's fiery red hair in the hopes of calming her. Though her shaking stopped, her shortness of breath only increased. "Doctor?"

"Contractions. She's going into labour."

For a moment, Amy stood straight. "Did he say...? No, of course he didn't." But Tabitha could see the fear and panic in her eyes. "Rory, I don't like this." With another scream of pain, Amy gripped her stomach, bending over to, hopefully alleviate the pain.

"You'll have to start explaining this to me, Doctor." Seeing his wife in such unimaginable pain brought tears to Rory's eyes, and knowing he could do nothing about it tore his heart in two. He reached out to gather Amy into his arms, and she leaned into him, sobbing and trembling. Tabitha stepped off to the side, anxiously wringing her hands. She hated seeing her friends on such agony, one physical, one emotional. But, as she would only be more hindrance than help, Tabitha slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, never removing her eyes from Amy and Rory and the Doctor. Once, she glanced momentarily down at her hands and was surprised to find them still, not shaking out of fear for Amy or anger at her own uselessness; they were as still as if they had been carves out of marble. _I wonder why..._

"What, the birds and the bees? She's having a baby." His voice increased in speed as he continued speaking. "I needed to see the Flesh in its early days; that's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. I was going to drop you off for fish and chips first, but things happened and there was stuff and shenanigans. Beautiful word, shenanigans." The Doctor frowned as Amy screamed once more. For a second, his eyes turned to Tabitha in the far corner, staring impassively yet in wonder and confusion and sorrow all at the same time. "Stand away from her, Rory."

"Why?" Rory snapped. "No! And why?"

"Rory," Tabitha finally called, slowly standing. She knew what the Doctor needed to do, rarely did she not, and proceeded with caution. In her eyes, Rory was a scared animal; any sudden movement and he would strike. "Given what the Doctor has learned, what we have learned, he is going to be as humane as he can. But he needs to do this, and you need to move away." She held her hand out to him. "Come." Reluctantly, Rory made his way to Tabitha's side.

"Doctor, I'm frightened," Amy said, voice quavering. He had come up to stand directly in front of his companion. "I'm properly, properly scared."

The Doctor placed a hand against her cheek. "Don't be. Hold on, because we're coming to find you; I swear it. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will find you."

"I'm right here."

"No, you're not." Ever so slowly, the Doctor pulled away from her and removed his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. Pointing it at Amy, he said, "You haven't been here for a long, long time." He flicked it on, and, with a gasp, Amy melted into a pile of Flesh.


	11. Comforts and Confusions

**Hello, people of the internet! I hope you've been enjoying this story. If you have, let me know! Though I vow to complete this story (well, a much as I can as Doctor Who is still on the air), the lack of reviews/new reviews are worrying me. Am I a bad writer? I certainly hope not. Otherwise, I have been subjecting the world to my horrendous writing. So, review, favorite, follow... especially review :) Thank you!**

**So, this is going to be a chapter in-between episodes. There has been an idea for this scene in my head ever since I started 'The Rebel Flesh.' I was originally going to put it at the end of the Almost People, but I changed my mind. Now, it is a short chapter all on its own. Make sure to tell me what you think.**

**You all already know that I don't own Doctor Who.**

**So this is the chapter. We'll finish it and then... why am I telling you? Onto Chapter Ten!**

* * *

In his and Amy's room, Rory sat on the bottom bunk with his back against the wall, cradling his hands in his lap. Hidden by bent knees, Rory twisted the golden band around his ringer finger, taking comfort in the cool metal on his warm skin. As he stared down at it, the light glinting off of it, tears gathered in his eyes; and, when he thought he was alone, Rory allowed them to flow freely. They splashed onto his hands, his jeans, and one caught the ring, making it shimmer in the orange illumination of the TARDIS. Sobs wracked his body. So consumed he was by his grief that he did not notice Tabitha, donned in shorts and a bathing suit with a towel hanging over her shoulder, standing in the doorway or enter the room until she sat in front of him on the bed, startling the human out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hi, Tabitha." Turning away, he made to wipe the tears from his eyes with his sleeve, but Tabitha caught his arm before he could and returned it to his lap. As she slowly returned her arms to her own lap, Rory made no movement other than to look down in shame. "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't be crying like this, but... I should have known. I _should have known _that that wasn't my wife, and now we don't even know where Amy is! She could be hurt or worse!" He voice cracked. "How could I have not known that Amy wasn't here? I'm her husband." He looked up at Tabitha's pitying face, and his voice was a hoarse whisper as he said, "I'm her husband. How did I not know?"

Tabitha merely smiled softly at him. Rory could read the message in her eyes easily enough: _You didn't know Jen was a Ganger either._

"It was different with Jen. I don't know her that way. With Amy..." Rory's eyes glassed over as he remembered the private moments he shared with Amy. "I know her in ways no one else will ever know. She's my wife, and I should have protected her. I've done a pretty bang up job of it." He chuckled, but it was laden with shame. "You probably think I'm pathetic. As a husband and a man."

"I could never think that, Rory." Tabitha crawled over so that she was sitting next to him, but she kept enough distance from him for an outsider looking in to know she was only a friend. "You're brave, intelligent, compassionate... Amelia sometimes forgets just how lucky she is to have someone as loyal as you by her side." She reached out and brushed a tear away with her thumb. "There's nothing wrong with crying." With a watery smile, Rory leaned his head against Tabitha's shoulder, and she rubbed his back as it trembled. She whispered softly to him, calming him down.

"Where do you think she is?" Rory finally asked when he moved away from Tabitha.

"Actually, the Doctor is working on that right now. I can't help but wonder if that man ever sleeps." Just as she intended, a smile broke out over Rory's face. An idea suddenly came to her mind. Tabitha sprang from the bed, grabbed Rory's hand, and dragged him from the room. "Tabs! Where are we going?" But she did not answer, continuing to pull Rory down the orange and green lit hall. Instead of having to twist and wind through the TARDIS, the end of the hall opened up immediately to the console room where the Doctor was running around the console, hitting button, flipping switches, and giving it a good kick every now and again. "Don't do that!"

"She's... not... agreeing... with me," the Doctor complained through gritted teeth, hopping over to the captain's chair and throwing himself down on it. Rubbing her foot, he turned to the two who had just entered the room. Rory, amusement and sadness clashing on his face, stood off to the side as Tabitha stood before him. "I thought you were going to the library for a swim. What're you doing here?"

"You're going to find Amelia, right?" The Doctor nodded, not quite sure where Tabitha was going with this. "Let Rory help. He's been sitting in his room for the past few hours and needs something to do. What better way then to help you find his wife?" Leaning back, the Doctor stroked his bare, smooth chin.

"No doubt that there's some of Amy's DNA in their room, even on him." He jumped from his chair, causing Tabitha to jump back to avoid his head smashing against hers. She laughed as the Doctor threw an arm around Rory's shoulder and pulled him towards the console, explaining everything that he had been doing, how each scanner worked, and how Rory would be able to help. With his mouth running almost a hundred miles an hour, Rory just nodded when he took a breath, which was rare. The human's face was bewildered, but Tabitha could see hope beginning to unfurl within him as he caught the gist of it: they were going to find Amy.

And, if anyone could, it was the Doctor.

"I'm going to go swimming," Tabitha told them, but neither of the men were paying attention to her. So, smiling, she slipped from the room unnoticed, leaving them to their work.

When she arrived in the library, Tabitha first sat on the edge of the pool and allowed her feet to swirl around in the water. Much like the rest of the TARDIS and the energy it emanated, the water was warm, which seeped up through her legs and settled into her stomach. With a content sigh, she flopped back against the floor but started when a book slipped from on of the bookshelves behind her and landed on the ground with an echoing THUD. Confused, Tabitha walked over to the book and picked it up.

It was an atlas of sorts and had opened up to a page yellowed with age and written in calligraphy. Running her fingers over the dry pages, Tabitha marveled at the feather-soft texture and the feel of the supple, dark brown leather it was bound it. The book smelled faintly of vanilla, and Tabitha found that she enjoyed the taste brought to her mouth by the scent. Sitting down in the plush armchair across from the pool, a circle of illumination coming from the single lamp on the table beside it, Tabitha's green eyes skimmed over the heading. The words, though written beautifully and designed to please the eye, sent a shiver down her spine; and, the more she read, the more dread built up within her.

"I wonder if the Doctor knows anything about this place." Tabitha would have left the room, if the door to the library had not slammed shut, and the lock clicked into place. Her mother would not let her go to the Doctor. "Alright, Mum. I get it." She continued to read the tome and speak to her mother in a way the Doctor never could, her voice breaking the heavy silence that had descended over the library. "For some reason, you wanted me to find this. But I don't understand what's so important about... Demon's Run?" Her mother did not answer, and so Tabitha, with a roll of her eyes, kept reading, coming to a stop when she read the center of the page. "A poem? Hmm..."

_"Demons run when a good man goes to war.  
Night will fall and drown the sun  
When a good man goes to war._

_"Friendship dies, and true love lies.  
Night will fall, and the dark will rise  
When a good man goes to war._

_"Demons run but count the cost.  
The battle's won, but the child is lost."_

"I don't understand, Mum," Tabitha whispered. "What do you want me to know? What child is this talking about? What battle?" She continued spouting out question after question, not realizing the lights dimmed in the library. If she could see her mother, 'Sexy,' she would have been leaning against her arm, a bored expression on her face as he daughter continued to worry. "What's going to happen?" Now, she would have rolled her eyes.

'_Go for a swim.'_

"What?"

_'You're annoying me with all these questions, Tabitha. Go for a swim, clear your head, and then maybe you'll understand what I'm talking about."_

"But-"

"_No. Silence. You swim now."_

Sighing in defeat, Tabitha made her way to the edge of the water; this would be the first time she had ever been in a pool, and she hoped the memories of her two Time Lords were enough to teach her. "Yes, Mother." With that said, Tabitha dived into the warm water, the warm liquid washing her questions and tensions away. Rarely did she come up for air. Or, maybe she did; Tabitha could not remember. All she recalled was each flip as she swam from one end of the pool to the other and the momentary dizziness accompanying each. After twelve, she lost count. It was clumsy going at first, but Tabitha soon fell into her own rhythm.

Tabitha did not resurface until she felt something hit her head. Coming to a sudden stop and poking her head above the water, a swell of water pushing the red rubber ball away from her that had not been there earlier, Tabitha glared at the grinning Doctor standing in the doorway, twirling his new sonic screwdriver between his slim fingers. The TARDIS must have unlocked the door.

"Get out of the pool and go get dressed. Rory and I, well just _me_ because Rory didn't know, had a brilliant idea." Swimming to the wall, Tabitha crossed her arms on the floor in front of the Doctor and rested her chin on them. "You know the Twelfth Cyber Legion? Probably not. Well, probably since you know what's going on in my head. Anyway, we've pinpointed the _general_ location of where Amy could possibly be, but something is blocking my sensors. Don't know what yet. But the Twelfth Cyber Legion monitors everything in that particular region. They might know."

"And you think Cybermen are just going to let you walk in, ask, and then be on your merry way?"

"Not me, but maybe Rory." Just as he said this, Rory walked into the room, clad in his Roman centurion outfit. Shuffling, awkward Rory was gone, and in his place was the second most determined and calmly enraged man Tabitha had ever seen (the first being the Doctor). When he noticed Tabitha staring openmouthed at him, Rory simply and respectfully inclined her head in his direction. One of his hand were wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword, Tabitha noticed with a frown.

"Doctor, do you really think it's a good idea for Rory to meet with the Cybermen alone?" At Tabitha's concerned tone, the Doctor's excitement and Rory's cool persona faded, leaving them contemplative. They had not really thought through their plan. "What if Rory is taken hostage by them? Or killed? They know who you are, Doctor, and they're not above using your companions to get to you. Certainly you've realized this _long _ago." The Doctor said nothing for a long while. Tabitha could see that he was still firm in his plan, but he would not argue with her. He never would. "Can you guarantee Rory's safety?"

"Yes. Rory would be in absolutely no danger. If things go wrong, we'll zip in, save him, and run off before the Cybermen have a chance to blink. They don't, but you get the idea." The two locked eyes. She could see determination burning like a frozen star. "What do you think?"

"That you've both gone mad."

"And..."

Tabitha smirked. "I like it."

* * *

**This was just a short filler, and I hope you liked it. Next, we move onto A Good Man Goes to War**

**Now, ****with the next episode, I am not entirely sure what I am going to do with it. I have a few different ideas, but part of me loves them and part of me thinks they need to be revised or scrapped entirely. So we'll see what happens. Wish me luck!**

**-Of_The_Reds17**


	12. A Good Man Goes to War 1

**For those of you who sent me your ideas, thank you! My only hope is that these chapters are not as bad as I think they are going to be, but we'll find out soon enough. So, keep your fingers crossed and wish for the best, because that's what I'm going to be doing :P**

**Oh! One question for you, my lovely readers: I want to start another Doctor Who story (it would be Doctor/OC) completely unrelated to this one, and it would start in the Tenth Doctor's time. I won't say exactly when, but I have the idea. The character is already formed - physical appearance, personality, history, everything - and her parts in some of the chapters have begun weaving themselves together in my mind. Now, all I need are your thoughts on the matter. So review and let me know what you think of the idea. I probably would not start it, should I get enough positive feedback on it, until I am finished with this story, and who knows how long that is going to take?**

**I don't own anything pertaining to Doctor Who. Tabitha is my property, though.**

**The only rhyme I can think of has to do with seven. This is getting pathetic, but onto Chapter Eleven!**

* * *

The three crept silently through the Cybership, Rory in the lead with Tabitha and the Doctor trailing behind. One of the Doctor's hands held the faintly buzzing sonic while the other was latched firmly onto Tabitha's. They came to a stop behind a stack of metal crates, a sliding, hydraulic door in their line of sight. The Doctor shielded Tabitha with his body as an line of Cybermen made for the room in which they were hiding. Two got through the open doors. But, before the others could, the Doctor released her hand, jumped from his protection, and closed the door, locking the other Cybermen out. When he returned to her side, Tabitha laced her fingers through his and smiled up at him.

Jumping out from behind the crates after the other Cybermen had gone, the Doctor turned to Rory and handed the human his sonic screwdriver. "You know what to do with this. You're on your own now, but I know that you know where you're going Tabitha and I have some other business to attend to. We'll save you if it all goes wrong." Stoic, Rory tucked the sonic into his belt. His passive façade fell for a moment when Tabitha leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Good luck, Rory." He nodded and ran off down the corridor after the Cybermen, leaving the Doctor and Tabitha to go the opposite direction and back to the TARDIS. They were forced to duck behind numerous piles and boxes as Cybermen passed them. They had nearly reached the TARDIS, as second out of sync, when Tabitha whispered, "I hope he's alright. It feels wrong just leaving him here without nothing but your sonic and a sword."

"You kissed him," was all the Doctor said. Tabitha tried to catch his eyes, but he kept his attention firmly on the Cybermen and the large guns they wielded. "Why?"

"It was just for good luck," countered Tabitha, not understanding why he was making such a big deal of it. It was _Rory, _just a human; he would need all the luck he could get. If the Doctor had been the one running off to confront the Cybermen on his own, she would kiss him as well. She just remembered something about a blonde woman the Doctor met on a ship - Tabitha could not remember her name, only that she was lovely and daring - who did the same thing, only on his lips. He rather liked it, too. It was all there, in his memory, and Tabitha never commented on it. "Why are you so worried about this?"

He did not answer her question. "We don't have time for this." The Cybermen had passed; the Doctor made to rush out, but Tabitha pulled him back with a firm grip on his sleeve. The Doctor fell onto his backside beside her. "Tabitha, the TARDIS is _right over there. _Let's go."

"No, not until you answer the question." Her voice was soft, inquiring, and prying, but never demanding. She could never demand anything from him; Tabitha was too gentle for that, despite having her moments. "It was the same thing at the acid factory. You smirked when Rory burned his hand on the pipe; I noticed that, so try to talk your way out of it." Her hand ran down his arm to take his once more, and she gave it a comforting squeeze. "Tell me what's wrong, Doctor."

The Doctor kept his mouth shut. He did not want to tell her about the small burst of jealousy he felt at seeing Rory hold her hand at the acid factory or now, watching her kiss the human on the cheek. It was just a friendly kiss, a good luck charm between friends. But, to the Doctor and the connection he had with Tabitha as she was part of the TARDIS, it was so much more than that. In the short amount of time she had been tangible, Tabitha had become the Doctor's closest and most wonderful friend. She knew his every thought, what he would do or could do, what he_ should_ do. Having someone who knew him so well, and being able to talk to them... he could not even say how immeasurably happy it made him. Tabitha was that someone. She would always be that someone.

But he would never tell her any of this.

"Uh," he stuttered, "we, um, need to get to the TARDIS. Rory could already be with the Cybermen."

The two tip-toed into the TARDIS, the machine closing the doors behind them. The Doctor, releasing Tabitha's hand, ran up to the console and fired up the time machine. Tabitha nearly fell up the stairs as her mother flew through the Vortex to another location. Staggering to the Doctor's side, Tabitha asked, "Where are we going?" He said nothing, only grinned at the woman by his side. She soon found out as they flitted from Cypership to Cybership, planting explosions, before returning to the main ship where they had left Rory. The Doctor scurried to and fro, preparing the _pièce de résistance _and the driving point. Unknown to him, Tabitha was also working on her own project and let out a yelp of joy when Rory appeared on the screen, speaking to the Cybermen. Tabitha raised the volume until the human's voice was echoing throughout the time machine.

"_I have a message and a question. A message from the Doctor and a question from me: Where. Is. My. Wife?" _There was a pause. "_Don't give me those blank looks. The Twelfth Cyber Legion monitors this entire quadrant. You see everything. So tell me what I need to know. You tell me now, and I'll be on my way."_

_"What is the Doctor's message?" _Tabitha glanced over at said Time Lord at that. He winked before pressing a large, red button. On the screen, behind Rory, the Cyberships they had just sabotaged exploded in plumes of fire and smoke and debris. All the while, Rory and the Cybermen remained impassive on their untouched ship. Tabitha was impressed by how calm Rory was, but she also had not doubt that he would walk through Hell and back to have Amelia returned to his side.

"_Would you like me to repeat the question?"_

The Cybermen had fallen silent, too silent and too still, and Tabitha was beginning to wring her hands in worry. Would they attack Rory? He would not be able to escape to the TARDIS quickly enough. She refused to lose another companion. Her back stiffened and her legs tensed, preparing herself to run out there and protect him. The Doctor did not miss this, and he slowly moved towards her until he was close enough to place a hand over one of hers that gripped the console until her knuckles were white.

"He'll be fine," he told her, and she smiled.

Then, the Cyberleader spoke. "_Searching database: Amelia Jessica Pond."_

"Is that her middle name?" Tabitha inquired.

_"Located: Demon's Run." _She stiffened, remembering the book her mother had demanded she read. The words of the poem raced around her mind, refusing to rest.

_"Thank you," _Rory replied. "_I'll be on my way now."_ However, the Cybermen all readied their weapons. He froze for a moment, struggling to find something to say, before suddenly dashing away, the Cybermen weapons firing where he had once been standing. The Doctor sprang into action at that moment, preparing his machine for departure; Tabitha backed away from the console to get out of his way. Instead, she hurried to throw open the doors, barely dodging Rory flying through the doors and the blast from the gun that followed him. It hit the console straight on, causing it to spark and causing the Doctor to fling himself to the side to escape the small explosions. But the TARDIS, as resilient as she was, used that energy to hasten their flee from the Cybership. She closed the doors herself, allowing Rory, the Doctor, and Tabitha a moment to relax.

"That was...exciting. Remind me never to do that again, " Rory gasped from beside Tabitha on the clear floor. One glance between the two, and they both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Pushing herself to her feet, Tabitha reached down to help Rory from his position. "Did you two catch that? Demon's Run. That's where Amy is!... Where exactly is that?"

"I know!" the Doctor sang, plugging in coordinates, not looking at Tabitha and Rory as they skipped up to the controls. "I know exactly where that is. However, before we go, we're going to have to pick up a few things. Hope you don't mind." He flipped a switch, and the three gripped onto the rails as the TARDIS soared through the Vortex.

* * *

"Vastra! and Jenny! Long time no see!" the Doctor greeted enthusiastically as the human female and the lizard woman entered the TARDIS, suitcases and swords in hand. Rory, still in his centurion uniform, made to take their suitcases from them, like a bellhop at a hotel, but Vastra flicked her forked tongue out at him. Hands raised, Rory backed away to Tabitha's giggling by the captain's seat. This soft sound caught the Silurian's gaze, and Vastra stared Tabitha up and down with a critical eye. The TARDIS child fell silent. The absence of her laughter was immediately noticed by the Doctor. "Ah! Yes, introductions! Vastra, Jenny - this is Tabitha. Tabitha, I'd like you to meet Vastra and Jenny."

"Hello." Tabitha waved demurely. "It's nice to meet you." She remembered the Silurian woman from the Doctor's memory: Amy taken, a chance at a tentative relationship between the Silurians and the humans ruined by a scared mother, Rory dead, a piece of the TARDIS pulled from a crack in time. Knowing that this race, and this woman in particular, had threatened her friends at blaster point made Tabitha wary around Vastra. However, the Doctor apparently trusted her and Jenny. So Tabitha would trust him.

"Likewise," Vastra responded, a sly grin on her scaled face. She sauntered up to the TARDIS child, allowing Rory to lead Jenny to their room. "I don't remember you."

"I'm rather new."

"Oh?" the Silurian turned towards the Doctor, who was already piloting the TARDIS to their next destination. "Another human? I would have thought you'd have gotten tired of them. After what happened..." She trailed off with a smirk. "Apparently not, Doctor. Although, I can understand. The apes are such an alluring race. Why do you think I keep Jenny around?" The Silurian leaned against the console.

"I'm not human," Tabitha responded. Vastra raised an inquiring brow, but Tabitha offered no more than, "It's a long story."

"And we've got time."

"Actually, no," the Doctor cut in as he parked his beloved box. "We're at our next destination. And he should be-"

"Can I get him?" Tabitha suddenly asked, not knowing what she would find but excited all the same. She leaned forward in the captain's chair. "I'll be safe, promise. It'll only be a moment." The Doctor's mouth opened to utter a quick 'No,' but, at the sight of the pleading in her emerald green eyes, his resolve weakened. He knew where they were, when they were, and how dangerous it was outside the doors. Yet, he could not find it in himself to deny her, despite the risk; she _was _a part of him, and the risk came with the territory. So the Doctor nodded, and he could not help but to smile softly when she jumped from the chair, wrapped his arms around him, and then danced down towards the doors.

"What am I going to do with her?" he asked his TARDIS. The Doctor did not hear her faint whisper of a response: _Trust her._

Outside, Tabitha looked on in astonishment as Sontarans and Humans fought and died all around her. She was worried that she would have to duck and roll and dodge out of their ways. However, once one pair of fighters saw her, they stopped and allowed her to pass with respectfully inclined heads. Smiling at them both, Tabitha advanced. The ceasefire rippled throughout the battle field until all men were facing and silently watching the lone woman on the field making her way to the hovel across from the TARDIS. Once she had entered the decrepit building, out of harm's way, the fighting continued.

A man, a woman, and a Sontaran were huddled around a young boy on a table. He noticed her first, and she mouthed 'Hello.'

"Will he be alright, Nurse?" the man asked.

"Of course, he will," the Sontaran responded. "He'll be up and about in no time. And perhaps one day," he turned to the boy, "you and I shall meet on the field of battle, and I will destroy you for the Sontaran empire."

"Thank you, nurse," the boy croaked. Chuckling, the Sontaran patted the boy's head before spinning around, stopping short at the sight of Tabitha standing there. He reached back, pulled out his gun, and aimed the barrel at Tabitha, who simply grinned. "How did you get in here, boy? Don't you know we're in the middle of a war."

"I noticed," she responded, "but are you Commander Strax?" The Sontaran nodded, charging up the weapon at the mysterious woman who knew his name. "The Doctor needs you." The humans looked horribly confused, but Strax grinned and powered down his weapon. With one final farewell and a promise to annihilate them one day, Strax followed the woman back to the TARDIS. Once again, all fighting stopped until Tabitha and the Sontaran were safely back in the time machine. When the doors opened, the Doctor stopped his pacing, arms clasped behind his back, and grinned at the sight of the unharmed Tabitha and the alien behind her. She danced up to his side and tucked herself away beneath his arm.

"Good to see you, Strax!" the Doctor greeted. His face was red. "Just follow Rory, and we'll be on our way." Although the human eyed the potato-looking alien uncomfortably, Rory led him away from the room, leaving Tabitha and the Doctor alone. He pulled her along as he flew the TARDIS to another location unknown to Tabitha, and then the two sat down on the captain's chair. It was a tight squeeze, but they fit. Tabitha only stayed on the chair with one of the Doctor's arms wrapped firmly around her waist, his other hand wrapped around one of hers.

"Where are we going next?" she questioned.

"We're going to pick up someone very special named River Song." He glanced down, waiting to see her reaction. With Amy and Rory, they either groaned or cheered. Tabitha only looked on blankly, the name vaguely familiar. The Doctor's memories were not clear on the woman, and she was unable to put a face to the name. "You know, River Song! Archaeologist River Song?" Tabitha shrugged. The Doctor deflated. "You really don't know her. I would have thought... do you remember the library? Silence in the library?" His mouth curled upwards when her green eyes lit up with an epiphany. "There we go!"

"I remember the library and the Vashta Nerada, and I remember that woman and Donna Noble. But you kind of... blocked her out of your mind, as if you didn't want anyone to know about her." His smile faded into a deep, sorrowful frown. "Even I don't know. She must be brilliant if she's so special to you."

"She is." Suddenly, the TARDIS landed, the two barely holding on and remaining in the chair. The Doctor called for Rory, and the Last Centurion rushed into the room. "Get River for me, won't you?" The human nodded and left the TARDIS, the sound of an alarm entering the time machine before the doors muted the sound. "Someone's been a bad girl."

"Is she usually?"

"Oh, yes." He threw back his head and guffawed. "The day she isn't is the day I die."

"Don't say that." As soon as he had said those words, Tabitha's heart, or hearts, quickened in fear. The thought of the Doctor dying left an icy hole in her heart that threatened to overtake her the more she dwelled on it. After so many years with the eccentric Time Lord, a connection had formed between the two that could not be severed. Her hand moved to cover his that rested on her side. "You're not going to die anytime soon. Not if I can help it."

"Death's too scared to come within a foot of me," the Doctor countered with a smile, but he understood Tabitha's worry and kissed the back of her hand for comfort. The two time travelers sat there, content not to move. And neither of them would have were it not for Rory suddenly entering the TARDIS. "Ah! Rory the Roman! Where's River?"

Rory hesitated to answer, and yet he was able to force out the words, "She's not coming."

"Why?" The human did not respond. So the Doctor simply jumped from his chair and piloted the TARDIS away from River, not saying a word. Rory shot Tabitha a confused glance, but she imperceptibly shook her head. Nodding, Rory left the control room. Tabitha, as silently as she could, spun over to the Doctor, who caught her hand above her head and continued her spin until she landed in his arms in a dip, causing her to laugh. "Did you come over here to dance? Or did you want to know where we're going next?" He righted her.

"Both."

"River wasn't the last person I need. Despite popular belief, it is rubbish to save the best for last!"

Next, they picked up a large, blue man named Dorium Maldovar. Tabitha could not help but poke his cheek, wondering if the blue was his true skin color, but he slapped her hands away and stormed off down the hall. He was not found until much, _much _later, complaining that the TARDIS was 'too damn complicated. How do you ever find your way around here, Doctor?' Tabitha could not help but pat the wall, mentally thanking her mother. The TARDIS hummed as a reply; no one would hurt her daughter, no matter how superficially. For the duration of his ride, no matter where he went, Dorium found himself reaching dead ends, doubling back on himself, and unable to find anyone to guide him. Despite being rather amiable and caring by nature, Tabitha laughed aloud when Dorium walked out of the control room and returned thirty seconds later, winded.

Second was a pirate captain, Henry Avery, and his son, Toby. The captain did not hesitate to playfully criticize the TARDIS. Tabitha remembered the story behind it, and she giggled when the Doctor pouted. She would have come to his defense were it not for the boy. He was exhausted and falling asleep on his feet. Tabitha did not waste another moment before carrying the boy to his room; as soon as he was lifted off the ground, Toby's head fell against her shoulder, and he drifted off to sleep.

Three men in World War II pilot attire followed Henry and Toby. Two of them were older and immediately fell into an easy conversation with the Doctor; the third, Danny Boy (as the Doctor introduced him), was much younger, with sandy blonde hair, grey yet warm eyes, and deep dimples set into a boyish face that appeared whenever he smiled. And he grinned charmingly at the sight of Tabitha. He slid along the metal railing until his arm nudged hers. When Tabitha glanced at him shyly, he winked, and his smile grew broader at the red that immediately colored her face.

"What's your name?" he inquired beneath his breath. Just as she was about to reply, the Doctor literally pulled Danny Boy away from Tabitha and into a new conversation. Tabitha did not understand it, but she noticed that his grip was a bit too tight and the kindness in his voice a bit too false. Later, when they bumped into each other again as they entered the conference room, she muttered into his ear, "Tabitha." Danny Boy kissed the back of her hand with a wink, which did not go unnoticed by the resident Time Lord. It sent the burst of jealousy he had felt earlier racing through his veins and changing his attitude towards the boy.

"All right, then!" the Doctor exclaimed when all of the guests were sitting around a table in the conference room. Rory and Tabitha stood on either side of the Doctor, facing all of the Doctor's debtors. Throughout the entire meeting, Danny Boy was trying to catch Tabitha's gaze, but the Doctor continually drew his attention by either shouting out a word for emphasis or making a loud noise, anything to keep the airman's eyes from straying to the TARDIS child. "Does everyone understand what's happening?"

"We're going to some place called 'Demons run-," Captain Avery started.

"-to save your ginger companion-," Vastra continued, her hand linked with Jenny's on the table.

"-who was kidnapped by a woman wearing an eye patch-," Danny Boy added.

"-that only she could see?" Commander Strax concluded. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but even I find that a bit farfetched. Even if you are telling the truth, do you really plan on taking on an entire army with only a handful of people? It is madness!... I like this plan!" Strax practically shook with adrenaline and anticipation of upcoming battle. "Where do we begin?"

"With a better plan," Dorium cut in. "Doctor, I know Demon's Run, and I know the Headless Monks; they're customers of mine. Even _you_ can't defeat them. They can't be afraid, they can't be persuaded, and they can never be-"

"Surprised!" No one except the Doctor and Danny Boy had noticed Tabitha leave the room, and, now, she returned with a black cloak that formerly belonged to a Headless Monk fluttering behind her as she skipped into the conference room. She flung the hood over her head and wrapped the cloth around the bottom half of her face so only her green eyes were visible, glittering in the orange light of the TARDIS. The Doctor's eyes, previously dancing with of the thrill of the chase, softened, and he forgot for the time being that others were in the room. He reached out towards Tabitha and drew the hood down so that he could lean forward and leave a kiss on her forehead. Beneath his lips, the Doctor could feel her skin burn with a scarlet blush, and he laughed, pulling away. "What was that for?"

For once, the Doctor did not know what to say as the reality of the situation, and everyone's gazes upon the pair, hit him like a blunt blow to the stomach. "Well-... I-... uh..."

"It seems, for once, that our dear Doctor is speechless," Vastra chortled. "And all it took was a pretty woman."

"Anyway!" the Doctor said suddenly, pretending the last few moments had never happened. But his fair skin was the color of a ripe tomato, and Tabitha stood off to the side, staring at him in confusion. Her face was as red as his. Yet she was not as embarrassed as he was. Tabitha simply unwrapped the black cloth from her face. "That's the plan! Now, everyone go get ready because we'll be leaving very soon. If you need me, and I hope you don't, I'll be in the control room." He did not give them a chance to respond before practically fleeing from the room. While everyone stood from their chairs, talking about this upcoming invasion, Tabitha slipped from the room and followed the Doctor.


	13. A Good Man Goes to War 2

**Who enjoyed reading the last chapter? I know I certainly enjoyed ****_writing _****it :) But, unfortunately, here comes the hard part. I have no clue where this story is going to go from here or how it is going to get to the end. For some reason, the only ideas I have belong to the chapters AFTER 'A Good Man Goes to War' (which will deviate from the show plot for a while). So, my dear readers, I am going to cross my fingers and hope that these next two chapters flow coherently.**

**Well, we'll see where this story goes. I just wonder how many times I'm going to have to re-write the chapter prior, this chapter and probably the next... I'll let you know in the chapter immediately following A Good Man Goes to War. But, for the time being, take bets! ****How many times am I going to have to re-write this chapter?**

**Of course, I don't own Doctor Who.**

**If I want this chapter to work, I'm really going to have to delve. Wish me luck! Here I go! Onto Chapter Twelve!**

* * *

"What do you think's going to happen?" Tabitha asked from her perch on the captain's chair. She was curled up on the leather seat beneath the black cloak. She had entered rom as silent as a wraith and sat down on the chair, not making a sound until the Doctor started at the sight of her. As soon as his heart had stopped racing, she had spoken. "We're all going to have to fight - that much is obvious. They wouldn't have made such a big fuss about getting Amelia if they had no intention of keeping her, but that also means she's safe, which is fantastic," Head down, the Doctor nodded; Tabitha was much more intelligent than she thought. "What are you thinking?"

"You should know," he responded with false levity. Tabitha knew what he was thinking: he was terrified. One of his companions had been taken, and the Doctor had known it. Now, he was leading his second companion and those who trusted him into battle (and those who owed him long overdue debts), where some may not return. She could feel the fear in his twin, pounding hearts. "You're in my head, after all."

"I want to hear you say it." The Doctor said nothing, and Tabitha sighed. "Do you want to know what Mum showed me about this mission? She saw that this was going to be your finest hour. You'll have never risen higher..." He sensed that there was more, so much more, that she wanted to say, but he did not want to find out and refused to question her. "I'm scared."

"There's no reason to be," the Doctor said at last, "because you're not coming with us. You're going to stay in the TARIDS and stay safe while the rest of us go save Amy." When Tabitha did not fight him on it - he had become so used to Amy butting heads with him on nearly everything - , the Doctor turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She simply smiled sadly at him. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" Tabitha nodded. "You just came in here to see us off. Why do I bother to tell you anything if you already know what I'm going to say?"

"Because you love the sound of your own voice. You always have." Sliding off the chair, Tabitha removed the cloak with a flourish, swung it around the Doctor's back so that it settled upon his shoulders, and clasped it at the base of his throat. "I also came to bring you this. As much as you love the coat and bowtie, and despite how lovely both look on you, they're not going to help you blend in." Brushing the wrinkles from the cloak and drawing up the hood so that his fair skin was shrouded in shadow, she stepped back with a satisfied smile. "There. You look great. Just like a Headless Monk." Tabitha stifled a giggle when the Doctor threw back and hood, a look of mock indignation on his face.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that."

The two laughed as the others came into the room, wielding weapons and having more strapped elsewhere on their person. The weapons ranged from swords to pistols to blasters to... planes, which were being pulled along behind the TARDIS through the Vortex. She suddenly landed. But this one was much more gentle than previous landings, and everyone remained on their feet. The control room fell silent as the echo of the landing faded. "Well, we're here." The Doctor's voice was a whisper.

"And Amy's somewhere out there," Rory added. Tabitha could see just how anxious the centurion was to find his wife, and it made her smile. In his hands, the sonic twirled in his fingers; the Doctor had given it to him earlier, Tabitha remembered. "What are we waiting for?" As the tension thickened, and weapons shifted from one hands to another in anticipation of upcoming battle, the TARDIS doors opened into large, dimly lit, and empty room. Tabitha made her way by the doors so she could clasp hands or shoulder, or hug each of them before they filed out of the time machine; Danny Boy had the gall to kiss Tabitha once on the cheek before leaving with a flirtatious click of his tongue. The Doctor, last in line, was behind him and nearly stormed after the World War II pilot, but Tabitha grabbed his hand, keeping him by her side.

"I'm not scared for me; I already knew you wouldn't let me come," she told him, referring to earlier. "I'm scared for you. And Rory. And Amelia. You three come back in one piece, or I'd... I'd... I don't know what I'd do." Without waiting for him to respond, Tabitha embraced him, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Come back, please." She felt the Doctor press a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

"Always." One final squeeze and the Doctor was out the door with the rest or his 'army.' The plan was in motion, the pieces were set, and the sense of dread that had settled in Tabitha's stomach only increased tenfold. As she folded her arms and her leather jacket across her stomach, Tabitha returned to the captain's chair. In the deafening silence, she could hear her shallow breathing and her heart, or hearts, beating erratically. She drew her knees to her chest, not liking the cavern that had appeared in her chest with the Doctor's absence.

_What's wrong? _'Sexy' asked after nearly ten minutes. Feeling the warmth of the TARDIS, of a mother's embrace, in her mind, Tabitha was able to relax somewhat in the chair, but the chasm still gaped wide in her heart. At last, unable to sit still, Tabitha jumped from the chair and began pacing the length of the room. _You're worried about them._

"How can I not be?" Tabitha responded. "The Doctor's gone out there to save Amelia, basically, without a plan, and he's taken Rory and others with him. That's what he does, though - jump in without thought. But, after what you showed me, I can't help but wonder if _that _is what's going to get him killed. And even the idea of that terrifies me. If the Doctor dies, what would happen to me? I'm nothing without him." Her mother tried not to laugh at the implications of what Tabitha just said, of which the TARDIS child did not realize.

_Then why didn't you go after him? Why are you still here, talking to me about this?_

"He told me to stay in the TARDIS for my own safety," Tabitha said with an exaggerated eye roll, frustration dripping off every word. Her mother noticed that, with each passing day, her daughter became more and more human... well, more and more _Amy._

_And you're going to listen to him?_

That caused Tabitha to pause, both in her movements and her words. "Why wouldn't I? The Doctor has a reason for everything he does."

_Does he?_

"Usually." The TARDIS said nothing that time, and Tabitha understood what her mother wanted her to realize. "Alright, he normally figures everything out as he goes along; there is no reasoning behind it." Suddenly, Tabitha came to a stop in front of the doors. Despite the Doctor's command, they relented and opened beneath the slightest touch. There was no one in the room beyond. She took that as good sign, along with the feeling of excitement that bubbled beneath the nervousness. "What am I still doing here?"

_That's what I was wondering._ There was a moment of stillness in which Tabitha could feel her mother's warm, encouraging glow on her face, and the TADRIS gently pushed her daughter from the time machine, like a human mother nudging her child into their first day of school. _Go after him. He's going to need all the help he can. And stay safe, or I'll kill him for not taking care of you._

"Where do I go first?"

_Find Rory. He'll eventually lead you to Amelia and the Doctor._

"Thanks, Mum." Adjusting her leather jacket, Tabitha ran her hands through her hair before running from the room, her footfalls making hardly a sound. Upon reaching an open door at the far side of the room, Tabitha carefully pushed it open, flinching at the horrible, keening screech the hinges made. Tabitha was careful to slip through the unheard and unseen, which was difficult with the amount of human soldiers in the room, making rounds. More than once, Tabitha had to throw herself behind stacks of boxes to avoid being seen by the soldiers; if they found her, no doubt they would have killed her on the spot.

Tabitha continued along with her back sliding against the metal walls, the cold seeping through her jacket and into her chest. She came upon a green lit corridor from where she heard voices, two of which she recognized immediately: Rory and Captain Henry Avery. Grinning, Tabitha ran down the hall, her boots echoing around the corridor like claps of thunder. Tabitha stopped at the sight of Captain Henry, Toby by his side, holding a gun to a woman with an eye patch; Rory had his sword unsheathed and pointed down the hall, towards Tabitha; by his foot was a baby carriage, and Tabitha could hear the sound of an infant waking. When he noticed the green-eyed, spiky-haired woman, Rory lowered the point with a sigh. Ordering the captain to keep an eye on the woman, Rory pulled Tabitha into a hug.

"Tabs, what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just stay in the TARDIS while the rest of you were out here." She stood upon her toes and kissed his cheek. "Are you alright? What's happened so far? Have you found Amelia?" Rory shook his head, but then he turned upon the eye patch woman once more, the tip of his sword kissing her throat. The woman remained stoic, yet Tabitha could see hatred burning in her gaze. But there was something else beneath the rage and the anger. Something Tabitha was unable to pick out. Whatever it was, it caused the fear in Tabitha to swell.

"Where is my wife?"

While Rory threatened the information out of the woman, Tabitha drew Toby away from his father's side, keeping him safe beneath her arm. "Are you hurt, Toby?"

"No, ma'am. Are you?" Tabitha shook her head, a smile on her face. Toby grinned, as well. His attention was then drawn to the muttering baby in the carriage, and his eyes widened in astonishment. Slowly, Toby knelt by the carriage and reached in to gingerly stroke the infant's round, smooth cheek. The baby immediately grabbed his finger, gurgling with joy. "Hello, baby."

"Her name is Melody," Rory said from where he stood. "Melody Williams."

"Pond," countered Tabitha. "Her name is Melody Pond. I wouldn't recommend arguing with Amelia, Rory. It's Melody Pond." Confused, Rory opened his mouth to reply, but he shook his head and turned back to the eye patch woman. "Either way, she's beautiful." Tabitha reached out, lifted the baby from the carriage, and cradled the child to her chest. Melody gurgled and laughed, causing Tabitha to laugh. Her next words were directed to the baby in her arms, much to Toby's wonder. "No, I'm not your mum, but I'm a very good friend of hers. Also, you should really call her 'Mum,' not 'Giant Milk Thing.'"

"What are you doing?" Toby asked, genuinely curious.

"I speak baby. Well, I speak every language." The baby cooed once more. "Yes, I do. If I didn't, how would I know what you're saying?" The baby fell silent, her lips pushing out into an adorable pout.

"We know where Amy is," Rory announced, pulling the attention from the baby and onto him. While Tabitha and Toby had been fawning over the baby, two Silurians had come and dragged the eye patch woman away, leaving Rory and Captain Henry looking down at their respective companions. "Henry, Toby - go help the others round up the soldiers. Tabitha, you're with me. We're going to find Amy." The centurion saw the question in her eyes before Tabitha could ask it. "You can continue holding Melody, if you want to."

"Thank you." The two pirates had already gone, and Rory and Tabitha ran out of the corridor in search of the nursery. From her arms, Melody blubbered, her arms waving in the air. "I'm running right now, Melody. When we stop, I'll let you play with my hair. And, yes, it naturally sticks up like this. For as long as I've been human-ish, which hasn't been long, I've never put anything in my hair. It just... stays." Melody gurgled once more. "Well, when you have hair, I'm sure it'll look amazing, too."

The two raced passed skirmishes between human soldiers and aliens, with Tabitha occasionally pulling Rory out of the way of an oncoming blasts from lasers. He was so intent on getting to Amy that his self-preservation flew out the window. She forced Rory behind a stack of metal boxes just as a Silurian tackled a soldier into the wall where they had previously been standing. "Pay attention, centurion!"

"Sorry!" They continued on. "Sorry!"

Rory led Tabitha into another corridor, but this one was vacant. With the brighter lights, they were able to see where they were headed, which happened to be a single door on their right near the end of the hall. It was the only door with writing on it. However, Rory could not read the peculiar language. "What does it say? Tabitha?" HIs voice was hardly above a whisper. If there were more soldiers behind that door, neither of them wanted to alert them to their presence. Rory's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword until the skin was taut over his knuckles. Tabitha, despite Rory's misgivings, stepped forward, allowing Melody to see what was happening around them. "Tabitha, what's behind that door?"

"We're at the nursery, Rory." Without hesitation, the centurion pounded on the door in excitement.

"Who's that? Who's there?" Amy's voice called through the door. They could hear her rushing around, rummaging through the items in the room in the hopes of finding a suitable weapon. "You watch it, 'cause I'm armed and really dangerous and... cross." In the hall, Rory rolled his eyes.

"She's so Scottish." He moved his mouth closer to the door and said loud enough so Amy could hear, "Yeah, like I don't know that."

"Rory? Rory, is that you?" At the relief, joy, and underlying heartbreak in her voice, Tabitha smiled. Melody, for once, remained silent. Her eyes were closed in content at the sound of her mother's voice. Tabitha gently bounced, trying to lull Melody to sleep; the baby only smiled a toothless smile, blue eyes opening so she could stare up at Tabitha. She reached up, and Tabitha lowered her head over the child so Melody could tug at the TARDIS child's hair. Tabitha chuckled, rubbing her nose against Melody's. She did not noticed Rory smiling softly at the two before using the sonic to unlock the door. "They took her. Rory, they took our baby away."

"Now, Mrs. Williams," Rory started as the door slid open, revealing him and Tabitha standing in the doorway, Melody in the woman's arms, "that is never, ever going to happen." Amy looked on in awe as the two descended the stairs to stand by the ginger woman. Carefully, Tabitha passed the child over to her mother. Immediately, Amy smothered her child in kisses, to which Melody protested by waving her hands in her mother's face. All the while, Rory stroked both Amy's hair and Melody's bald head. Allowing the small family their moment of happiness, Tabitha moved off to the side and watched.

"Where's she been? What have they done to her?"

"She's fine, Amy. She's fine; I checked." Tears sprang to Rory's eyes as he gazed down at their lovely creation. "Oh, Amy, she's beautiful." He sniffed. "I was going to be cool. I wanted to be cool. Look at me."

"Crying Roman with a baby - definitely cool. Tabby, can you hold Melody for me?" Amy handed her daughter to the TARDIS child before turning back to Rory. "Come here, you!" Amy grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, pouring all her relief and happiness into that simple action; his arms wound around her waist, pulling her as close to his body as humanly possible. From her spot, Tabitha laughed as Melody tried to hide her face in her leather jacket, embarrassed by her parents' actions.

Behind them, the door opened, and the Doctor stood in the entrance. At the sight of Amy and Rory, he cringed. "Ugh, kissing and crying. I'll be back in a bit."

"Oi! You!" Rory demanded once he had broken the kiss. "Get in here. Now." With a fear in his face that Tabitha had never seen, the Doctor hurried down the stairs in order to stand by the married couple. He hugged the centurion and the ginger at once, and the three spun around, laughing; finally, they were reunited. But the laughter was cut short when the Doctor saw Tabitha standing there with Melody in his arms. "Tabitha, you get yourself over here with our baby."

"Tabitha, why are you here?" His question did not quite have the effect he had hoped it would, as his eyes were fixated on Tabitha, who was staring at Melody in pure happiness. Cradling the baby's head, she passed Melody over to the centurion. When she moved to stand by the Doctor, he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her to his side. Her face flushed pink when she noticed the married couple in the same position, the only difference being Melody in Rory's arms. Apparently, Amy realized why Tabitha's cheeks were colored, and the ginger smirked. "I thought I told you to stay in the TARDIS. What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think I could leave you alone? Now, stop worrying about me and say hello to Melody."

"Fine, but we're going to talk about this later." Rory stepped forward so that the Doctor could hover over the child. "Hello, Melody..." He listened intently as she gurgled.

"Williams," Rory supplied at the same time Amy said, "Pond. Melody _Williams_ is a geography teacher. Melody _Pond_ is a superhero."

"Yes, well, I suppose she does smell nice. Never really sniffed her. Maybe I should give it a go. Amelia Pond, c'mere!" He returned Melody to Rory before wrapping his arms around Amy once more, inhaling deeply, much to Tabitha's amusement. He broke away first, grinning. "You're right, Mels. She does smell pretty good. Also, you really should call her 'Mummy,' not Big Milk Thing." Tabitha stepped forward and gently bop Melody on her nose. The child turned her head and swatted at Tabitha's hand.

"I told you that earlier, Melody." Tabitha chided, but the child squealed in indignation. "You just don't listen, don't you?"

"What are you two doing?" the ginger asked.

"We speak baby."

"Uh, no, you don't."

"We speak everything," said Tabitha. "Melody and I had this conversation earlier in which I proved her wrong. Remember?" Melody gurgled and pouted. "No, his bowtie is charming. I like it." The Doctor adjusted his tie with a smug grin.

"Doctor!" Vastra suddenly called, hurrying into the room. Her swords were strapped onto her back. "Take a look. They're leaving. Demons Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled. My friend, you have never risen higher!" Tabitha and Rory both stiffened at those words, remembering what her mother and River had told them. Tabitha noticed that Rory's hands tightened around Melody until she squealed in pain. Tabitha carefully loosened Rory's hold until she could lift Melody from his arms.

As the five walked from the nursery, Tabitha grabbed Rory's arm until she walked with him at the back. "Rory, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it was just something River told me-"

"About the Doctor." It was not a question, and Rory looked at her in shock. "He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further. Don't be so surprised. My mother told me the same thing. I wanted to tell him, more than anything, but I knew he wouldn't listen. He's so focused on saving Amelia." Her eyes strayed to the Doctor's back. The smile on her face did not unseen by the centurion, and he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "I have never seen the Doctor so angry, and that worries me. He's always been an emotional man. But he's never let his emotions rule his actions, until now. Even I don't know what's going to happen next."

"We have Amy and our baby back, though. You don't think this is over?"

"Far from it." The finality in her voice sent a shiver down Rory's spine.

* * *

Melody cried, and Tabitha turned on the Doctor as Amy left the TARDIS, "Why couldn't you just turn the brakes off? You made Melody sad." He ignored her, retreating beneath the floor to find something. Tabitha laid down on the ground in order to watch him, pulling herself along with each movement he made. With a 'Yowzah!' the Doctor emerged with a grin and a wooden cot in his arms. The Gallifreyan letters, written in golden paint, glimmered beneath the orange TARDIS lights. When he rested it on the console, Tabitha reached out with a finger and turned the mobile above. "This is your cot. It's beautiful." Her hand brushed along the smooth wood; not a single splinter caught in her skin. "Are you going to give this to Melody?"

"She's crying," the Doctor explained, "because she's tired." He carried the cot out of the time machine. Tabitha listened as Amy and Rory tried to figure out who the cot belonged to. She rested her cheek on the cool, clear floor, waiting for them all to return.

_I'm so proud of you, Tabitha, _her mother praised. _But you know it's not over. The Doctor's just left, Strax found someone listening in - no need to worry about her; it's just Lorna -, and it's far too silent out there. Listen to me, Tabitha, because your life might depend on it. Go, run and find the Doctor. A huge battle is about to take place here, and, as your mother, I do not want to you caught in the crossfire. They're going to isolate the TARDIS, which means it'd be under their control (thought they won't do anything to it). But I will not have my daughter under their control, as well. So, go. Now... run._

Tabitha jumped to her feet and sprinted from the TARDIS and the room, questions following after her. It was not long until she found the familiar tweed coat and dark, floppy hair. "Doctor, I'm coming with you!" He stopped so that she could catch up. Out of breath, Tabitha continued, "Don't you dare tell me to go back to the TARDIS, because I won't listen. I'm staying with you, and that's final." She laced her fingers through his. "Try to make me leave, now."

The Doctor could not help but smile at her determination. "Why in the world would I do that?" He kissed the back of her hand, and, together, they ran.


	14. A Good Man Goes to War 3

**Alright, this episode is not going as horribly as I thought it would :D You honestly cannot understand how happy that makes me. Although I loved this episode, (re)writing it and plugging Tabitha into the episode was a lot harder than I thought it would be. However, I relish a challenge, but I cannot wait for the next few chapters/stories. Thanks to all you loyal readers who believed that I could do it. Because of you, we have now reached the end of A Good Man Goes to War. **

**Also, and this is LOOOOONG overdue, a big thanks to 10Blue10, BakerTennant'sTardis, TwilightEclps, SiLvEr SCriPteD GaLliFreYan (love the way this is spelled, by the way), ToxicSoap04, Catapult Juliet to Romeo, and Krowley for reviewing! You guys are awesome, and I sincerely apologize for not mentioning this earlier! :)**

**_IMPORTANT_: I'm debating whether or not to include a couple of original adventures between the end of this episode and the beginning of Let's Kill Hitler. Instead of me flipping coins and doing eeny-meeny-miney-moe, I'd like for you all to choose. Should I jump to Let's Kill Hitler? Should I put in original adventures? Should I go t Let's Kill Hitler, mention the original adventures, and then put them in a story entirely their own? You decide!**

**I obviously don't own Doctor Who, just Tabitha.**

**This episode has been really mean. But, and I am thrilled to say this, here is Chapter Thirteen!**

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When they entered the control room, Vastra and Dorium were found already waiting for them, the latter sitting in front of the controls. Vastra stood in the back, and Tabitha made her way next to the Silurian while the Doctor clapped his hands on the blue alien's shoulders. "You've hacked into their software, then?"

"I believe I sold it to them."

"So what have we learned?"

"That anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake," Vastra commented. The Doctor turned to her with a raised eyebrow, a hand urging the reptile woman to continue speaking. "The words of an old friend who once found me in the London Underground, attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers." The Doctor swaggered towards Vastra and Tabitha, confidence and arrogance exuding out of every pore. It was so unlike him that it made Tabitha cock her head to the side in confusion. She had never seen the Doctor so prideful. When she did, it was usually right before his plans came crashing down around his ears. _What was that human saying? The pride before the fall?_

"Well... you were very cross at the time."

"As you were today, old friend. Point taken, I hope." Accepting Vastra's words of wisdom, the Doctor nodded. However, this did nothing to quell the peculiar feeling in Tabitha's gut. It was not warm like whenever the Doctor held her hand or kissed her forehead. It was cold; something else was coming, and she was sure that no one would like it. She watched the Doctor turn to stare out the window, but he spun back around at Vastra's next words. "Now, I have a question. A simple one. Is Melody human?"

"Sorry, what?" he questioned before laughing uncomfortably. "Of course, she is! Completely human. What are you talking about?"

From the computer, Dorium added, "They have been scanning her since she was born. Evidently, they found what they were looking for." He brought up an image of DNA on the screen. The Doctor strutted back to his side, Tabitha trailing after him quietly. Even she could tell that there was something more to this DNA.

"Human DNA."

"Look closer," Vastra ordered. "Human plus. Specifically, human plus Time Lord."

"That's impossible," Tabitha finally said from her spot next to the Doctor. "He's never left my side since we met. Even before then, I've never seen him and Amy-" The Doctor, his face turning red, clamped a hand over her mouth. He knew exactly what she was going to say next, and the Doctor may have truly died of embarrassment (that was certainly a way to go for a nine hundred plus-year-old Time Lord). When Tabitha made it clear that she would not continue down that line of thought, the Doctor released her mouth and wiped his hands dry on his trouser leg. "As I was saying, it's almost impossible for Melody to be anything but human, unless..." Her words trailed off into thought as she considered the other possibilities.

"You told me about your people, Doctor," added Vastra. "They became what they did through prolonged exposure to the time vortex. The Untempered Schism..."

"Over billions of years! It didn't just happen!" the Doctor argued. He turned to lean against the wall in exasperation. Tabitha, ever so vigilant, remained by his side. As if by instinct, his hand immediately found hers, and the thumb began stroking the smooth, fair skin.

"So how close is she?" Vastra demanded. "Could she even regenerate?"

"No! No, I don't think so."

"You don't sound so positive," Tabitha murmured next to him. He looked down at her to find Tabitha playing with his fingers, bending, curling, and spreading them out. "You're sure about almost everything. What's changed?" When she finally left his hand to rest against hers, her eyes locked onto his. The Doctor could see the inquiry towards him in her eyes, but there was also an answer. She had figured out what Vastra was leading to. But he had not, and it was driving what small sane part of his mind mad. "Was Amelia ever worried about Melody? Repeated exposure to the Time Vortex _could _have had an effect on the unborn child. Even before she was pregnant and taken, those effects could have also done something to Amelia's body."

"Which leads to my next question: when did _it _happen?"

"When?" the Doctor said.

With a scoff, the Silurian woman rolled her eyes at the naïve, bewildered Time Lord. Dorium could not help but chuckle at how childlike his old acquaintance was. "I'm trying to be delicate, Doctor. I know how you can blush." She gestured to Tabitha for emphasis, reminding them both of their small moment before landing on Demon's Run. Her cheeks took on a faint, rosy hue at being called out. "When did this baby... begin?"

The Doctor started at her words, and there was no mistaking the red that flooded his face. Tabitha could not help but dwell on how easily he blushed. "Oh, you mean..."

"Quite."

Adjusting his bowtie, attempting to gain some sense of composure, the Doctor snapped, "Well, how am I supposed to know? That's all human-y, private stuff. It just sort of goes. They don't put up a balloon or anything!" His words increased in speed until they were a verbal blur. The Doctor, running his hands through his hair, walked down the corridor behind him for a length before returning to Tabitha. The awkward air brought on by Vastra's question, the Doctor's response, and Dorium's laughter along with his suggestive eyebrows caused him to be unable to look at the innocent TARDIS child on his right.

"Is it possible that Melody could have 'begun' on the TARDIS, in flight, in the Time Vortex?" Tabitha questioned softly, not wanting to arouse his anger or have it turned upon her.

When speaking to Tabitha, his word were much gentler. "No, no, it's impossible. It's all running about, sexy fish vampires and blowing up stuff. And Rory wasn't even there at the beginning. Then he was dead, then he didn't exist, then he was plastic. Then I had to reboot the whole universe...long story. So technically the first time they were on the TARDIS together, in this version of reality, was on their..." The Doctor gulped as he came to the dreadful conclusion.

"On their what?"

"Wedding night," he croaked. "B-but that doesn't make sense! You can't just cook yourself a Time Lord!"

"Of course not," Vastra reasoned, "but you gave them one hell of a start, and they've been working very hard ever since."

"And yet they gave in so easily," Dorium cut in, finally having his voice heard. He stood and made his way next to Vastra, the only other clear-headed one in the room besides Tabitha. "Does this not bother anyone else?" Tabitha raised her free hand in agreement. Usually, the Doctor would have asked her what she felt that was wrong. But his mind was still racing at the thought of Amy and Rory... in the TARDIS... it made him wince in disgust. This was certainly not a usual situation. He continued to try and deny the truth in front of him, which, Vastra was quick to strike down.

"Amy! She was worried the baby would have a time head. She said-"

"Only you would ignore the instincts of a mother!" hissed the reptile woman, causing Tabitha to wonder if Vastra had ever been a mother herself. It would not have surprised her if that were the case. Tabitha knew that Vastra would protect her child as fiercely as a mother bear would, probably even more so.

"Or the instincts of a coward," added Dorium once more. "This is too easy. There's something wrong."

But, of course, the Doctor was only focused on one thing. "Why even do it? Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?"

"A weapon?"

"A_ weapon_?!" The thought was preposterous. At least, to the Doctor. "Why would a Time Lord be a weapon? 'HOW could a Time Lord be a weapons?' is a better question."

"Well," Tabitha said under her breath, hoping it would just be brushed off as a passing comment from just a common girl. But her voice seemed to echo around the room, causing everyone to fall silent and all eyes to find her. "After today, they've seen you enraged and the damage you caused all because they kidnapped Amelia; it was terrifying. If anyone got their hands on the Oncoming Storm, or worse, it'd be a force to be reckoned with. I doubt anyone could compete with it. Not even you, Doctor."

Stunned, the Doctor fell into Dorium's recently vacated chair. "Me?" He did not appear to hear Vastra give Dorium the command to return to the others, nor did he notice them leave the room. Once they had gone, Tabitha sat on the hard, metal ground beside him, staring up into his face. The shock was evident, as was the horror of what he had become. Tabitha rested her hands on his knee, and he reached out to cover hers with his own. "Me? But I'm not some sort of weapon or a military leader or destructive force. I'm just the Doctor, the last Time Lord in existence. The _last._" He sighed. "Tabitha, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you? So why didn't you warn me?" She did not reply. "They can't really turn Melody into a weapon, can they?"

"Oh, we can," a female voice said from behind them. Both Tabitha and the Doctor jumped to their feet, spun around, and glared at the eye patch woman's face on the computer screen. Her thin lips were pulled upwards into a victorious smirk. "I see you accessed our files. Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry, I'm a long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you. The child then... What do you think?"

"What is she?"

"Hope. Hope in this endless, bitter war."

"What war? Against who?"

"It's obvious," Tabitha whispered. The Doctor turned sharply to her. "Against you, Doctor. It's a war against you. They're turning Melody into a weapon to fight _you._"

"Your girlfriend is very intelligent, Doctor," the eye patch woman praised. However, her voice was lacking in sincerity. "It's a shame she was not the child we had taken. With her natural intelligence, we would have formed her into such a formidable weapon, one even you couldn't defeat. But, then again, that would have been so long ago, and I get ever so impatient. We'll make do with the human child, though." Her smirk widened into a full-fledged, gloating smile.

"The child is NOT A WEAPON!" the Doctor screamed at the woman, slamming his hands down in anger. He felt Tabitha's hand rub circles along his back, trying to soothe him. But his rage would not diminish.

"Just give us time. She can be. She will be."

"Except you've already lost her, and I swear I will never let you anywhere near her again."

"Oh, Doctor, fooling you once was a joy," the woman said, arrogance and pride in her voice. A hatred in Tabitha, one she never knew was there, began to boil over, and her hands clenched into fists. Her emerald green eyes narrowed into vengeful slits. Tabitha had never felt such rage in her heart. The worst part was that she enjoyed the feeling. For the first time in her short life, Tabitha wanted nothing more than to hit someone; she had not even wanted to hit Buzzer, but that had been out of necessity. Now, she wanted to punch the smirk out off of the woman's face. If she ever received the opportunity, Tabitha was sure that she would relish every second of it. "But fooling you twice, the same way - it's a privilege."

"Amy," the Doctor realized with growing horror. "Amy." He fled from the room in the hopes of reaching the others in time, but Tabitha knew it was for nothing. Alone in the room, Tabitha turned back to the eye patch woman.

"You're still here, are you?" she sneered.

After a moment of tense silence, Tabitha said coldly, "You're going to regret taking Melody, and you're going to regret tricking the Doctor. But you shouldn't fear him, because nothing is more dangerous than an angered mother. And you've just made Amelia the most vengeful mother ever to roam the universe. Melody will never have the chance to be Amelia and Rory's daughter, and you're going to pay for it. Before this is over, Amelia is going to have her revenge; you won't survive it. Just be happy that I'm not Melody's mother."

"Why?" She tried to remain calm, detached, but the pure hatred in Tabitha's gaze shook her to her very core. The vicious, predatory grin that appeared on Tabitha's face was enough to send anyone running in fear. This woman never stood a chance. Her heartbeat began to race. Despite the fact that there were thousands of miles between the two, the eye patch woman knew that she would never have another peaceful night. Whenever she closed her eyes, Tabitha's face at this very moment would haunt her every sleeping, and waking, moment for as long as she lived. When she opened her uncovered eye once again, Tabitha still stood there, a superiority glittering beneath the hatred.

"Because I'd make sure you wouldn't survive. I'd kill you myself." Without waiting to see her reaction, Tabitha walked from the room with a scary calmness in her step.

When she arrived at the hangar, the battle she knew had taken place had long since been over. Her eyes examined each dead body - human, alien, Headless Monk - with a calculating stare before moving onto the next. Among those she did not recognize, Strax's corpse was leaned against a box. "You were very brave, Commander Strax." Her gaze snapped up towards the TARDIS at the sound of a clap of displaced air. Stalking towards the box, Tabitha found Rory comforting a grieving Amy and the Doctor snapping at a woman with large, blonde, curly hair that Tabitha did not recognize.

"Where the hell have you been? Every time you've asked, I have been there. Where the hell were you today?"

The woman's response and the Doctor's voice faded into the back of her mind as Tabitha turned towards the humans. Slowly as not to startle them, Tabitha took one of Amy's hands and one of Rory's hands. In their eyes was an immense sadness that gnawed at Tabitha. "Hello."

"Rory had this brilliant idea," Amy suddenly told her between her tears. She was encased in the centurion's arms, the only thing between her and collapsing to the ground. "And I loved it. I wish I had thought of it sooner. We saw how well you had gotten along with Melody; she adored you, obviously. It's hard not to. Well, Tabby, Rory had the idea to make you Melody's godmother. We talked about it earlier, before the Doctor gave her his cot. There really is no one better for the job because none of our friends would know what to do with a baby like her." The ginger laughed sadly. "We would have asked you when we left." With a sob, Amy buried her face into Rory's chest, and he whispered comforting words into her ear and rubbed her back.

"And I would have agreed."

"Do you think we could have a moment, Tabs?" Rory asked. He felt immense guilt at not telling the Doctor what River had told him and what it had caused. Looking at Tabitha, he could see the same guilt weighing down on her and knew that he would be the only one to know that it was there.

Tabitha nodded and went to stand by the Doctor. She arrived just in time to see River and the Doctor by his cot, her hand on his, and hear her say, "I am telling you. Can't you read?" The Doctor looked at the Gallifreyan script, to River, to something in the cot, and then back to River before a large, disbelieving smile cracked the mask of anger on his face. One also formed on the woman's face, making her seem to much younger.

Sidling up to the Doctor, Tabitha glanced down at the letters; she knew what they said, being one of the few in the room who could read them, so why was the Doctor so surprised? Just as she was about to ask, her eyes latched onto the fabric sitting in the cot. Tabitha reached it, lifted the fabric, and ran her fingers over the letters stitched on the olive green material in gold thread. She easily recognized the language of the Gamma Forest, having seen it often in her lifetime as part of the TARDIS. But, as she flipped it over and the words translated into English, Tabitha gasped for it read RIVER SONG. The pieces began clicking in her mind. _The only water in the first is the river, but what's another words for song? Aria, ballad, carol, ditty, hymn, lyric, mel- _"Melody. Melody Pond... River Song. Being human's slowed my brain."

"Yes?" River said. She eyed the dark-haired, green-eyed woman in the leather jacket warily. There was something familiar about her, but River could not put her finger on it quite yet. "Do I know you?"

"No, not yet. In a few moments, you will." Holding out her hand, Tabitha smiled at her goddaughter. "I'm Tabitha, and it's nice to finally meet you, River Song."

"T-Tabitha?" River questioned in shock. She turned to the Doctor and mouthed 'Tabitha,' while pointing at her, almost as if she could not believe that Tabitha was truly there. "_The _Tabitha? The TARDIS child?" Slowly, Tabitha nodded. River wasted no time in throwing her arms around her, laughing. When they parted, River's teeth were bared in a massive grin. "It's so good to see you again. Oh! But this is the first time we've met, isn't it? It must be, otherwise you wouldn't have introduced yourself." Her hands came up to cover her mouth, but they could not hide the grin that refused to face. "Love the jacket, by the way."

"Thanks, it's his." Tabitha jerked her head towards the Doctor, who was watching the interaction between the two women in confusion. "How often do we meet?"

"Spoilers." River winked, as if it were a joke between them. For all Tabitha knew, it might have been. Or, in this case, it would be. "This is just so great. I finally get to meet you. For a short time, but... this is wonderful." River hugged Tabitha once more time. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Understandable, and I'll keep that in mind for next time." Turning back to the Time Lord, his mouth agape, she closed it with a finger beneath his chin and said, "I believe we have some business to attend to, Doctor."

"Of course!" he sputtered, galvanized into action. "Vastra and Jenny, till the next time. Rory and Amy, I'll find your daughter and, on my life, she will be safe. River, get them all home." Grabbing Tabitha's hand, the two time travelers raced to the TARDIS, ignoring Rory calling them. After lifting the force field that surrounded the box with the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor and Tabitha smiled at one another before entering the time machine, and the doors slammed shut behind them. Tabitha threw herself into the captain's chair as the Doctor plugged in the coordinates and sent the TARDIS flying off into the Vortex, their laughter echoing through the corridors.


	15. Dancing in the Dark 1

**Bonjour, darling readers! You are all amazing and wonderful and fabulous, and I adore you all for being so :) In case you haven't noticed, I am in a remarkably good mood, which doesn't happen often so I will enjoy it while I can. The weather was too beautiful today NOT to been in a good mood. However, for those of you feeling down and out, just remember that you are spectacular, incredibly unique, and, in 900 years of time travel, the Doctor has never met someone who wasn't important (meaning YOU) :D Hope you have an extraordinary day/week/year/decade/century/millennium/etc!**

**As you all are aware, I do not own Doctor Who. The Doctor, Amy, Rory, River, Captain Jack Harkness, the TARDIS, etc. all belong to minds more creative than mine. And there are plenty of them.**

**I wonder what the TARDIS would look like if it were green. I guess I'll have to keep wondering while we move onto Chapter Fourteen!**

**By the way, I had to type each chapter of A Good Man Goes to War at least twice, and at most five, times. Just in case any of you read these and were wondering. Also, we are going to deviate from the actual Doctor Who storyline for a while.**

* * *

Tabitha laid on _her_ bed, staring at _her_ ceiling. She watched the pinpricks of light and swirls of color that was the universe beyond dance across the black expanse of space with a calm, content smile. All the lights were off except those, and she enjoyed lifting her hand into the air and having the color temporarily dye her skin purple, or yellow, or blue, or orange, or red, or green - basically, every color imaginable. The stars were so real that Tabitha could have sworn that they truly burned whenever she touched a hologram of one, the warmth racing down her fingers, her arm, and spreading to the rest of her body. Dressed in a dark grey, thick-strapped tank top and black sweatpants, wrapped from the waist down in the softest blanket the TARDIS had to offer, Tabitha could not have asked for a more perfect moment.

There was suddenly a knock on her door, and the Doctor entered before she could give him permission. Although he could hardly see a thing, he knew where everything was in her room: the dark wood shelves on the far wall that held a number of books she had purloined from the library, her bed sunk into the floor in the very center of the room, a walk-in closet with all the clothes her mother had given her across the foot of her bed, another door leading to the kitchen at the head. Her room was made to give her the maximum amount of space, not that he minded. It meant there was less for him to trip over whenever he visited; the only object that took up any space in her room was the radio in the far corner and a stack of CDs that ranged from classical to rock to soundtracks to the occasional pop song.

The walls were painted to look like the sky as the sun made its cycle for the day. Or, in this case, the twin suns of Gallifrey. Following the edge of the walls along the bottom was the landscape. During sunrise and sunset, the images of the trees with their silver leaves blazed like fire. At noon, the glass dome around the Citadel of the Time Lords sparkled beneath the light of the twin suns. The red hills rolled off into the distance where the mountains kissed the sky. At night, the constellations and nebulas and far-off galaxies could be seen, just as he remembered them when he was a child as he stared at them for hours through his father's telescope, a gift when he left for his first day at the Time Academy. When he first visited Tabitha's room, the Doctor could not stop the tears from flowing. Now, it was only a crushing and suffocating sense of nostalgia.

"Hello, Doctor," Tabitha greeted happily, turning her head to smile at him. As if sensing her daughter's unspoken command, the lights in her room slowly turned on, causing the holograms to fade with the increasing brightness until they vanished entirely. Scooting over on her mattress, Tabitha watched the Doctor lower himself onto her bed until he was sitting next to her, his back leaning against the wall, leaving the black ceiling to gape down at them like a dormant black hole. Almost immediately, Tabitha curled up against him, and his hand gently patted her head. She had grown incredibly lazy once she realized how comfortable a bed was. "What're you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit every now and again?" he countered playfully, tapping her forehead with a slim finger. She laughed, and he smiled down at her, absentmindedly running his fingers through her soft, spiked hair. He never tired of hearing that laugh and doubted that he ever would.

"No, but I know you're here for another reason. So, as Amelia would say: spill it."

The Time Lord laughed at the human colloquialism that came from Tabitha's mouth. She was becoming more human with each passing day, he had noticed. "Demon's Run." She stiffened, and her hands twitched, just as the Doctor expected. "You knew exactly what was going to happen, what I was going to do, and yet you didn't say anything. We never got Melody; we found out who River actually is; I got a lot of innocent people killed... and you never told me that any of it was coming. Why? You could have prevented so many deaths!"

"And Melody would have been gone either way. And what would they have done to Amelia once they got the child? Do you really think they would have just let her go?" The Doctor did not answer, so Tabitha continued. "If I had told you, you wouldn't have listened because all you wanted was to get Amelia. If you _had _listened, then you would've found out what happened later and tried to get Melody back, probably leading to a war and getting people killed. There was no win-win situation. It would've ended the same, either way."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"How?"

"Because Doctor River Song, though a big, complicated, time-space event, is a semi-fixed point in time, even though she's just a person, like Captain Jack Harkness (though, Mum doesn't seem to like him). Your life and hers and mine are intertwined. Think of them like strings - yours is the bluest blue and thin, River's is purple and thick, and mine is red. And there are points where these strings crash together and get tangled before going their separate ways. No matter how far we go, we're always going to meet again; also, if you look at where we start, you'd notice that the strings are ties to the same weight. We were connected from the start, but it's only a matter of time before one of our strings are cut. Am I making sense?" The Doctor nodded. "Good, because it's absolutely nothing like that."

"I thought so. But I understand what you're saying." He laughed at the girl's analogy. It was nearly as bad as 'the smaller bubble universe on the outside of the bigger bubble universe' analogy had had made when they met Idris. He suddenly yawned. "I'm more tired then I thought I was."

"Then sleep." Scooting over until her back hit the far wall of her pit, Tabitha gestured to the space she had just vacated. It was large enough for him to stretch out comfortably and, even with his arms folded behind his head, he would not intrude onto her territory. However, he knew that they had a mission to see to: saving Melody, whatever the cost. The Doctor opened his mouth to kindly decline; his words were replaced by an ever greater, jaw-cracking yawn. "You're exhausted, and you can't save Melody while falling asleep on your feet. Besides, there's room for both of us." His mind too muddled to argue, the Doctor removed his shoes and lowered himself onto the bed. He snuggled further beneath the blanket Tabitha threw over him, cuddling into his side. The Doctor shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she slipped off into unconsciousness, his fingers stroking the hairs at the nape of her neck of their own accord.

"Goodnight, Doctor," she whispered. Her deep, rhythmic breathing told him that she had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, Tabitha. Lights off." At his words, the lights above turned to darkness, and the hologram returned. The Doctor did not know how long he watched the holographic stars and nebulas swirl and soar above his head, mesmerized by their dancing. But he did know that the colors soon turned into a blur of light, and then sleep overtook him not long after.

* * *

The Doctor and Tabitha awoke not long after as the TARDIS landed much more smoothly than when he piloted, wanting the two most important people in the universes (to her, at least) to catch up at their sleep. When the gentle rumbling of the engines and the wheezing of the brakes faded, the Doctor's eyes fluttered open. They snapped open in confusion and panic, though, when he realized that he was _not _in his room. His ceiling was white, not black, and the walls of his room were a pale blue rather than burnt orange. Also, he did not remember his bed ever being in a pit. So, thoroughly bewildered, the Doctor shot up into a sitting position. Something shifted by his leg, and his stared down to find Tabitha curled against him, her usually perfect spikes now a mess with half of them pointing in all directions and the other half pressed down into a ruffled-by-sleep mop. His fingers absentmindedly pushing back the limp strands that had fallen into her face, the Doctor could not help but muse on how soft her hair was. He allowed himself one... two... three more caresses of her dark locks before picking up his shoes and silently tip-toeing from the room, hoping Tabitha would sleep throughout his departure.

The Doctor closed the door behind him with a click. But even such a faint noise was enough to rouse the TARDIS child from slumber. Yawning, Tabitha slowly roused from her bed, her green eyes dropping with sleep, and struggled to pull herself up and out of the pit. Although she wanted nothing more than to continued sleeping, she knew the Doctor would be itching to begin another adventure. So, extracting herself from her incredibly soft blankets and plush pillows, Tabitha staggered from the room, one blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

She found the Doctor in the control room (obviously) and leaned against the wall, watching the Time Lord at work. The TARDIS was landed and parked, an incredible feat in itself as it did not involve throwing them about, but the Doctor continued to race around the console, pushing buttons and flipping levers, trying to get some sort of reaction from the box. However, her mother remained resolute, and, frustrated, the Doctor slammed a fist onto the console before dropping into the captain's chair, clutching his now throbbing hand to his chest and pouting like a child. He nearly jumped when Tabitha padded up behind him with her bare feet and took his hand in hers. A smile made its way onto his face when she leaned over and kissed the smarting appendage. "She doesn't like it when you hit her," Tabitha reminded him, still holding his hand. "And neither do I, for that matter."

"I know..." His pout returned, drawing an amused smile onto Tabitha's sleep-laden face. "I didn't mean to wake you up, Tabitha. Why don't you go back to sleep? We'll be on our way as soon as your mother stops being stubborn - OW!" The Doctor jumped, grabbing onto his backside and staring at the seat of the captain's chair in anger. "She just pinched me! That's never happened before."

"That's what you get for calling her stubborn. Besides, we're not going anywhere." Tabitha walked up to the controls and pressed a hand against the panel. As if it had been instinct, her hand had landed on the panel that protected the Heart of the TARDIS from the outer elements. She could feel the warmth radiating from the metal. "Wherever we are is where we are meant to be. She doesn't take you where you want to go, but we always end up where we need to be." Her voice had dropped into almost a whisper. She remembered her mother telling him the same just before she had been 'born.' It was odd having similar words coming from her own mouth. Tabitha licked her lips before continuing. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Don't know yet," the Doctor responded, the rarely said words feeling weird on his tongue. Tabitha could see his mind fighting to remain on their primary objective of saving Melody, but the lure of another adventure in another time and, possibly, another planet still was so powerful after all these years. "Want to find out?"

She nodded, and the Doctor grabbed her hand to drag her from the TARDIS, his excitement racing down his arm, into their joined hands, and shooting up through hers into her own mind. The Doctor did not even need to open the doors; her mother had done so for them, and the two rushed out into the street... almost being flattened by a passing horse-drawn carriage. If it were not for Tabitha yanking the enthusiastic Time Lord back, he would have ended up a smudge on the cobblestone road. "Thank you," he told her over his shoulder.

"No problem. And are we where I think we are?" Tabitha could see Big Ben, glimmering new in the rare sunlight of the morning, in the distance. That, coupled with the carriages, the cobblestone road beneath her bare feet, and the period clothing caused Tabitha's hands to fly to her mouth. "We are, aren't we?"

"Yup! London, England in 1860, going by the smell," the Doctor replied, coughing the pungent scent from his nose. "Sweat, industry, and horse manure - nothing better than that!" Smiling down at the TARDIS child, the Doctor, after looking both ways and deeming it safe, ran with her to a safer side of the street, leaving the TARDIS alone in the entrance of an alleyway. As they walked, Tabitha linked their arms together so she could lean her head on his shoulder, still somewhat tired. "This is a weird feeling. If you were Amy or Rory, I'd be explaining everything-"

"Giving a short history lesson."

"Exactly! But you _know_ everything that's happening or happened or going to happen. So there's really no point to it. Hm... I'll have to get used to that." The two continued their stroll, the Doctor blissfully unaware of the confused glances or glares they received from the men and the scandalous appraisals from the women. Tabitha, however, could feel every set of eyes upon her back, and it made her uncomfortable, which did not go unnoticed by the Doctor. "Tabitha?"

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the TARDIS?"

"We just got here!" he countered like a petulant child.

"And I'm barefoot, with a blanket around my shoulders, and dressed in my pajamas. At least let me go back and get dressed."

The Doctor could not argue with that, and he was prepared to wheel them around and return to the time machine when something that caught his attention. Two men and their wives standing across the road had bumped into one another and evidently knew each other as they were conversing amiably. As people of wealth, they flaunted their money through their finely tailored clothes or the women's sparkling jewelry. But it was their conversation that brought a smile to his face. Now, with a plan in mind, the Doctor tore through the people walking in the opposite direction in his haste to get back to the time machine. Tabitha was stumbling along behind him, barely able to hold on to her blanket and his hand at the same time. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"I've just had the most brilliant idea!" They arrived back at the TARDIS. Jamming his key into the lock, the Doctor threw the door open and spun Tabitha into the control room, closing the doors behind her. "Tonight, we are going to a party. But not just any party. No, this is going to be the _'highlight of the century'_, according to the people I eavesdropped on." The TARDIS child rolled her eyes at that. "We are going to the birthday/masquerade party of Lady Laura Highgarden and her daughter, Danielle. Lord Wesley Highgarden is throwing them a huge shindig, and we..." He pulled out his psychic paper, displaying the imaginary invitation proudly. "...are invited."

It was odd, seeing the psychic paper in person. Tabitha knew that most humans would see what the Doctor wanted them to see. Unless the lie was too big, then it would be a bunch of squiggly lines. But, as part Time Lord and part Human, half of Tabitha's brain saw the paper as blank while the other half marveled at the ornate letter wrapped in the worn, brown leather. It shifted from nothing to expensive stationary, giving her a headache. The words lasted long enough, though, that she could see the identities the Doctor had whipped up for them. Tabitha looked back up at the Doctor's beaming face with a smile of her own. But she could not help but ask one thing... "We could be anyone and you picked 'Sir Doctor John Smith and Miss Tabitha Smith from the Tardis region of England...?'" she laughed. "That's not a real place, though."

"It is now." Lacing her fingers with his, the Doctor sprinted from the console room, down the hall. They took the first left, second right, third on the left, went straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, and, with the fifth door on their left, they finally arrived at the wardrobe. The Doctor did not hesitate in diving into the massive collection of clothing that had accumulated over time, hunting for something to wear. Tabitha stood in the doorway, examining the numerous racks of clothing and searching for something to wear. Unfortunately, her mother had organized all the clothes into their respective decades, with the most recent being closest to the door. Sighing, Tabitha plodded farther into the closet, her bare feet slapping the wooden floor of the wardrobe. It was not long before she found the Doctor. Well, the jacket he had thrown, which had landed on her head. Tabitha shook it off, gathered it up in her arms, and hung it over the hook at the end of the rack.

Tapping the Doctor's shoulder, Tabitha jumped when he suddenly spun around, his bowtie askew, tweed jacket at his feet, braces hanging at his hips, and the first few buttons of is pale shirt open, giving Tabitha a perfect view of the base of his throat leading to his chest. Her face turn a faint shade of pink. "Uh, Doctor, I don't know what to wear?"

"Something beautiful!" he exclaimed. Pulling her flush against him, the Doctor led Tabitha in an energetic and clumsy waltz, drawing rich laughter from the TARDIS child. "Tonight we are going to dine and dance with lords and ladies, and we need to put on a show." He twirled her around, dropping Tabitha into a low dip. "How about something green? To match your eyes." Tabitha turned her eyes away from him, now blushing deeply. "You'd look fantastic!" The Doctor righted the woman and gently nudged her towards the racks. "Remember, something beautiful."

Pushing her blush down, Tabitha rifled through the clothes in search of 'something beautiful.'

Hours passed, the Doctor had long since vanished with his own ensemble, and Tabitha had found a number of ornate dresses, none of which she wanted to wear. She found a flaw with each gown that passed through her fingers - this one was too light, this one too heavy, too deep of a cut, itchy material, too dark or light - and Tabitha absolutely refused to wear green. Just when she thought all hope of finding a gown was lost, and she was prepared to find the Doctor and tell him to go own without her, her fingers got caught in the lacings of another gown.

"Not again." This had happened ten times, now eleven, and she was getting tired of it. As Tabitha began extricating her fingers, her eyes widened. She gingerly stroked the red-violet with a growing smile at her face. When Tabitha pulled the dress from the rack and stood in front of the full body mirror, holding the dress in front of her, she could not resist doing a little dance. "It's always eleven, isn't it?" She hurried behind the changing screen.

* * *

"Tabitha!" the Doctor shouted in the control room. He had moved from leaning on the console with his arms crossed over his chest, to sitting in the captain's chair with his legs crossed, and finally ended up pacing through the room, impatience eating away at him. His black bowtie and suit had grown uncomfortable, and the white scarf had been tossed over the railing. Surprisingly, his black mask that sat upon the upper half of his face had remained on his face; it was in the likeness of a raven, the nose stretching into a beak. "TABITHA! We're going to miss dinner! Hurry-" The words died in his throat when the Doctor spun back around to yell up the stairs and down the hall and found Tabitha standing there in her gown. "Wow. You look... wow."

"Out of all the adjectives in the world..." She allowed her words to trail off.

He gulped, and blue eyes roved over her slim frame, drinking in every single aspect of the resplendent woman before him.

Her dress was red-violet in color with cream colored lacings, and the sleeves were fitted down her arms. Her neck and collarbone were naked, goose bumps rising on her fair skin. As slim as she was, the corset caused her no discomfort, and Tabitha wore it with a soft smile and colored face beneath a mask that covered only her eyes, framing and emphasizing the two emeralds that the Doctor adored so much; it was decorated with only with black feathers and some that matched her dress. Her hands anxiously adjusted her full skirts, momentarily letting the Doctor to see her familiar black boots. Tabitha wore no makeup or jewelry, and, in that moment, the Doctor saw her natural beauty shining through. "Wow," was all he could say.

"Thank you. You look fairly handsome yourself." The two stood in an awkward silence, Tabitha looking anywhere but at the man before her while the Doctor stared unabashedly at the woman before him. He realized that her hair had returned to her spikes and remembered how soft they had felt when he had awoken that morning. Now, he just wanted to stroke her hair once more. The Doctor's mind was so preoccupied with Tabitha that he nearly missed her asking, "Doctor, did you say something about missing dinner?"

He jumped, pulled from his thoughts. "Uh, yes!" The Doctor gathered and returned all his discarded clothing to their proper place before offering his arm to Tabitha like the gentleman he was. When her hand wrapped around his bicep, he could not deny his heart rates increasing. In fact, he could feel them trying to break from his chest. _Where did this come from? _the Doctor wondered. But, as Tabitha's hand wrapped around his elbow and she permitted him to lead her from the TARDIS, the Doctor could not deny his rapidly increasing heart rates. As they exited the time machine, his blue eyes constantly wandered towards the woman at his side until each glance, growing longer and longer, merged into one, lasting stare. His other hand came up to rest on hers, and Tabitha's fingers spread apart to allow his digits to rest between hers on his arm. _Who cares where it came from? I like this feeling, and Tabitha looks..._

"Magnificent," he sighed, drawing her attention.

"What?"

He flushed; that last word was supposed to stay as a thought. Clearing his throat, the Doctor hastily fixed his blunder. He would forever wonder why he tried to change his words if they were nothing less than the truth. "Um, it's a magnificent night, don't you think?" _I'm_ _talking about the weather!? Nine hundred years and I can't do any better than THAT?_

However, it seemed to work, as Tabitha's gaze was directed to the stars above, dotting the night sky with pinpoints of white light. She recognized and mentally named all the stars she could find. It astonished her just how many there were is one area. "It is. And it's rather cool." Her eyes landed on his, and the Doctor could feel the warmth rising up his neck and into his cheeks. "How far from here is Lord Highgarden's home?" He could not answer. The Doctor had not put much thought in his plan. All he knew was that there was a party, and he wanted to go. And, now, he realized that he had no clue where said party was located.

She sighed. "Fine." Walking towards the street, Tabitha raised her hand to signal a passing carriage. The driver immediately tugged on the reins, pulling the horses to a halt right in front of her. The driver, who was rather young, smiled charmingly down at the dark-haired, green-eyed woman looking up at him from behind a mask.

"'Ello, miss," he greeted with a playful wink. "What is a beautiful girl like you doin' on a night like this?"

"My friend and I are trying to get to Lady and Miss Highgarden's party. Do you happen to know where that is?" Tabitha flashed him a friendly smile, and the boy got all flustered beneath her glittering, capturing stare. "We're new here, somewhat. Could you help us...?"

"'enry, ma'am, and I'd be 'onored to." He did not hesitate to jump from his perch and open the door for the young woman, with her short hair and forwardness that astonished him and captured his attention all at the same time. So fascinated he was by this woman, that he did not even feel the Doctor's boring glare burning into the back of his head. He held her hand to steady the woman as Tabitha entered the carriage, refusing to release until she carefully slipped her hand from his. The Doctor followed, storming passed the young cabbie driver and slamming the door behind him with a resounding 'THUD.' The driver frowned but chuckled at the same time at the Doctor's reaction (he had seen it a number of times) before returning to his seat and flicking the reins, urging the horses into a trot.

Inside the carriage, the Doctor was staring out the window, pouting, with his arms crossed over his chest. His bottom lip was pushed out, and he seemed not to notice. It was not until Tabitha, who sat across from him, reached over and poked his cheek. His blue eyes found her green ones. With her staring directly at him, the Doctor could not frown. So, he smiled. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

The Doctor wanted desperately to answer, to say that it was because of the driver - _Henry -_ obviously flirting with the TARDIS child. Each smile had sent waves of boiling anger through him; even now, the Doctor could feel his palm aching from where his fingernails had dug into his hand when he clenched his hands into fists. And, when he had held her hand, the Doctor was prepared on yanking Tabitha away, fully intent on finding the party himself. But having Tabitha's gaze locked onto him caused the rage melting away. She did not even seem to remember Henry's too-friendly greeting. Grabbing her wrist and keeping her hand there, he replied truthfully, "I'm fine." The two remained like that, the Doctor holding onto the woman who made his hearts race and Tabitha's fingers playing with the hair at his temple. His eyes shut, allowing himself to get lost in the feeling of her hand on his face and the warmth growing in the pit of his stomach.

"Doctor, when you said 'magnificent' earlier, you weren't talking about the weather," Tabitha commented, "were you?"

Opening his eyes, the Doctor smiled but did not answer. He did, however, allow her to slide her hand and wrist from his grip and lean back in her seat. Tabitha looked out the window, watching the houses and pedestrians and other carriages flash by, but she remained entirely aware of the Doctor's stare never once deviating from her face, as if committing every detail of her profile to his memory where it would stay lodged until the end of his days. Her lips curled upwards into a smirk.

"We're 'ere, ma'am and sir!" Henry called half an hour later as the carriage slowed. Second after it came to a complete stop, Henry opened the door and bowed as Tabitha and the Doctor exited the carriage. "'ope you two have a wonderful night." He held out his hand, and Tabitha balked. She had completely forgotten that they would have to pay the lad when they arrived. Luckily, the Doctor and his bigger on the inside pockets had some money, which he pressed into the driver's hand. Once Henry had shoved the money into his pocket, bowed once more, and rode off into the night, the Doctor and Tabitha turned to face the entrance to the Highgarden Manor.

It was a large house, and that was a severe understatement. Henry had dropped them off at the foot of a marble staircase leading up to a set of double, dark wooden doors manned by men with pistols and swords strapped to their belts. Golden light, raucous laughter, and a slow waltz spilled from the doorway. Tabitha swayed gently to the music before the Doctor guided her up the stairs with a hand at the small of her back. They got passed the guards easy enough; all it took was a peek at the psychic paper, and the Doctor and Tabitha were soon being announced to the entire room. His arm wound the rest of the way around her waist, and the Doctor carefully tugged her to his side. He could feel the nervousness rolling off of her. Leaning over to kiss the side of her head, the Doctor whispered, "You'll be fine." Tabitha looked up at him with an strained smile. "Ready?"

"No." The two walked into the room and were swallowed by the crowd instantly.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter! :)**


	16. Dancing in the Dark 2

**Honestly, I have nothing witty, sarcastic, mean, or even remotely important to put here (as if anyone reads these)... hm, that's a first. Here's what we'll do then: you can all pretend I put something funny, or deep, or provocative, or controversial here. Laugh in joy/excitement, gasp with shock, or scratch your head in confusion - it's entirely up to you!**

**Doctor Who = not mine.**

**Huh, so Amy is Rory's queen? Better not let him hear her say that XD Here's Chapter Fifteen!**

* * *

A large space had been cleared for those who wished to dance, and Tabitha watched, laughing, as the Doctor and a rather robust woman twirled around on the reflective floor. She was strong enough to carry him and practically throw his slim frame into every spin and change of footstep. Prior to this, Tabitha and the Doctor had been standing at the edge of the clearing and sipping at wine. They had not been talking, or laughing, and they certainly did not feel uncomfortable. The two had simply stood in silence, relaxed with the other by their side, when the woman, her face flushed with wine and obviously alone for the evening, had sidled up to the Doctor and asked for a dance. He had gotten all flustered, and Tabitha could not resist nudging him closer to the woman. Taking it as an agreement, the woman had nearly wrenched his arm from his socket in her haste to get him onto the dance floor.

Now, with her hands clasped behind her back, a small smile made its way onto her face. She enjoyed seeing the Doctor so happy. At first, he had stumbled over his feet and was almost terrified by the large woman and her outgoing attitude. But, soon, he was laughing and having the time of his life. And Tabitha loved seeing his carefree smile. For a short moment, he was not the Doctor, savior of the universe and last of the Time Lords. If anything, he was more human in that moment than she was.

She had not noticed the man beside her until a hand bearing another glass of wine, its fingers long yet strong, found its way under her nose. Breathing in the sour, pungent, but not vile smell, Tabitha's green eyes followed the arm connected to the hand up into the smiling face of a young man. His hair was golden blonde in color and curled around his angelic face with its sharp cheekbones and grey-blue eyes behind a plain, dark grey mask. When he smiled at her, she could see his slightly crooked teeth. "I could not help but notice," he began, "that you're alone. What man in his right mind would abandon such a sparkling gem in a sea of such... frivolity? Especially on an evening as tonight. It could easily get lost or picked up by another, and then what would he do? Drink?" He swirled the wine beneath her nose, and she inhaled. "You seem fond of the scent."

"I've never had wine before this evening," Tabitha explained, taking the glass and a sip of the red fluid. This one was sweet, certainly of a better vintage than the one being served. "Where did you get this? It tastes wonderful."

"When you're the eldest child and sole heir of Wesley Highgarden, you are allowed to certain privileges," the boy replied. Finally, he turned to Tabitha, took her hand in his own, and brushed his lips along the fair skin on the back of it. Where she expected a warmth from him, his lips felt like ice on her skin, leaving a trail that burnt cold in their wake, and a shiver raced down her spine as Tabitha politely pulled away. "Edmund Highgarden. It's truly an honor to make your acquaintance, Miss..."

"Tabitha Smith." Like she had seen, Tabitha dipped into a short curtsey. She took this time to examine her hand. There was nothing wrong with it, but the chill was still there. When she straightened, Tabitha continued with, "And the pleasure's mine." Despite her misgivings about Edmund Highgarden, Tabitha would not forget her manners. "So... did you help organize the party for your mother and sister?" At her question, his eyes seemed to darken. But Tabitha attributed it to a trick of the light for, when he turned to her, they were the same grey-blue color, each fighting for dominance in his gaze. Now, they were more grey than blue.

"I'm afraid not," he answered, somewhat sadly. "I was busy during the planning stage, and my father did not want me anywhere near him during preparations. He said, and I quote: 'This party is causing me enough stress. I do not need you to add onto it!'" His voice had dropped an octave and grew more gruff in a crude imitation of his father, drawing a laugh from Tabitha. "Ah! and her laughter is like the tolling of bells, music to my ears."

"You're a flirt!" she laughed. "Would your parents be pleased to find you flirting with a strange woman?"

"Though strange you are, with your short and spiked hair and demur but lively nature - in fact, you are rather the paradox -, I don't give a damn what my parents think. In fact, if you could give them a wave for me." Edmund directed her eyes to a couple out who had exited the dance floor. Both possessed silvering hair, with the woman's pulled into an elegant bun on her head. Like everyone else in the room, they were dressed to impress, and they both cut a striking figure in his black suit and her pale yellow gown. It was the Lord and Lady Highgarden, who were both speaking discreetly to one another with their eyes latched onto their son and Tabitha, who both waved. Plastering smiles on their faces, the Lord and Lady made their way towards their son and the woman by his side; this seemed to give Edmund no small amount of pleasure. "And here they come."

"Do you find riling up your parents enjoyable?" another voice added. Tabitha jumped and spun to see the Doctor standing behind her. His face was red with exertion, but his eyes were like ice as they measured up the stranger at Tabitha's side. She was barely able to stop her eyes rolling in exasperation. _He has been acting so strange lately. First Rory, then Danny Boy, and now Edmund._

"I take no more pleasure out of anything else," Edmund said just as coolly. "And you are?"

"Sir Doctor John Smith."

Edmund lifted a doubtful eyebrow, and his lips curled upwards into a taunting smile. "Are you the Lady Tabitha Smith's husband? I see no ring upon her finger nor any jewelry upon her ethereal features that would mark her as your own, Doctor Smith. Or maybe a brother? You two look similar enough." Edmund stifled his laughter when the Doctor flushed with anger. Sensing that he was about to cross a boundary into dangerous territory, Edmund raised his hands in surrender. "I mean no offense, Sir Doctor. Whether she is your wife or sister, you are blessed to have such beauty constantly in your presence." He bowed once to Tabitha, reluctantly half-bowed to the Doctor, and went to meet his parents, leaving the Doctor and Tabitha alone.

"Did you feel that, Doctor?" Tabitha asked after a moment. She did not need to look to know he was nodding, face as solemn as hers. "He's cold. There's something wrong about him, but I can't figure out _what_. Do you know what it is?"

"No. I don't." He did not sense anything odd about Edmund, anything that would turn the Doctor off from the man (other than the fact that he was flirting with Tabitha, but that was another story entirely). However, Tabitha was obviously shaken by the man, and the Doctor trusted her judgment. So, to appease her nerves, he reached into his suit jacket and drew his sonic screwdriver from a pocket sewn into the inside. "But how long do you think it will take me to find out?" Tabitha grinned. "Where do we start?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd like to speak to Miss Danielle Highgarden. If there's anyone who could tell us something about Edmund, it would be her and their parents." Tabitha placed her wine glass on the tray of a passing servant with a charming smile and a soft 'thank you', sending the woman away with a more confident stride and a straighter back. "I'll take Danielle, and you can talk to Lord and Lady Highgarden. Agreed?"

The Doctor was practically bouncing at the idea of another adventure. The thrill that coursed through his veins, the unknown that awaited him, the opportunity to share it with someone he cared about - this was what the Doctor lived for. With Tabitha sharing his excitement and unquenchable thirst for finding and dealing with trouble, he could hardly contain himself. "Geronimo," he told her before melting into the fray, on the hunt for the elder Highgardens. He left a trail of agitated partygoers in his wake as he bumped into one or another, not moving as fluidly as he had hoped. Tabitha chuckled before tapping the shoulder of a passing couple. The woman was about to snap at her. However, when her eyes landed on the young woman standing in front of her, a shyness in her eyes, she swallowed her words.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, ma'am," Tabitha said, putting on a demur façade. "But I am not from here; so I am afraid that Miss Danielle Highgarden and her family are strangers to me. Do you happen to know where she is? I want to wish her a happy birthday." In case the wife did not answer her, Tabitha looked innocently up at the husband. Besides, who could deny a sweet, innocent child with such a darling smile?

"Of course, dear," the woman replied. Grabbing Tabitha's shoulder, she spun her around until Tabitha faced the way they had come. "She is the blonde child in the pale green gown with the mask in the shape of a butterfly that seems to stick to her face. Right there, standing in front of the doors that lead to the balcony." Grateful, Tabitha curtsied to the couple and then hurried off to speak with Danielle. She weaved her way through the crowd with much more grace than the Doctor had, which was not saying much. Tabitha effectively dodged servants with drinks and single men hoping for a dance, her booted shoes never faltering. When she arrived at the open doors, a much appreciated breeze wafting through, Tabitha found Danielle speaking with a group of giggling girls her age.

Tabitha politely cleared her throat. Despite being new, the girls immediately pulled her into her group. They wasted no time waiting to introduce themselves: Caroline Plaskett, Arianna and Anna Browning (twins and both already betrothed), Elizabeth "Lizzie" Howe, and the woman of the hour, Danielle Highgarden. They were all amiable and treated Tabitha as if she were one of them, a lady of high and distinguished social standing. However, despite the sudden friendship, the Browning twins were whisked away by their fiancés, and Caroline and Elizabeth prowled off, flaunting their forms which garnered the attention from the opposite gender, just as they desired.

Looking at the Highgarden girl, one would have been hard pressed to believe that it was the night of her twenty-first birthday. Her face was smooth and still possessed the hints of a child's roundness. Her grey eyes, in peculiar contrast with the pale green and silver butterfly mask, sparkled with a mischief Tabitha had seen in the Doctor's eyes many times. Soft, golden curls framed a smooth, powdered face, and trust exuded from her. All in all, Danielle was an innocent child, sheltered all her life, and blissfully naïve to what lurked beneath her button nose. "So, Miss Tabitha Smith, I cannot say I've ever heard of you or your Sir Doctor, and I've met all my parents friends." This was said with very little pride in her voice. "Who are you?"

At this moment, Tabitha wished she was as an accomplished liar as the Doctor. Instead, she went for honesty and hoped Danielle was as easy going as her first impression made her seem to be. "I'll tell you the truth if you don't tell a soul." Danielle nodded and leaned in; she could never resist a secret. It was one of her many flaws, or so she believed. "We weren't invited to your and your mother's party. The Doctor and I came and just walked in. And, if I do say so myself, this is a wonderful party."

"Oh, you tricksters!" The girls giggled at their shared secret. "Your doctor sounds like a splendid fellow, sneaking you into parties and whatnot. I'd love to meet him at some point."

"And maybe you will. However, while we are on the topic of the men on our lives, let's talk about your brother, Edmund. I had the pleasure of meeting him not too long ago, and he seems to be quite the charmer." At Tabitha's words, Danielle paled, which Tabitha took as a good sign, depending on one's point of view. "Or not?"

Sighing and linking her arm with Tabitha's, Danielle led the TARDIS child onto the balcony, abandoning the warmth and camaraderie. They leaned against the stone rail and looked out onto the grounds. Tabitha was astonished to find a dark labyrinth, its pathways black with the shadows of night, stretching out beneath her. In the distance was a fountain, and she could hear the roar of water as the smell of roses invaded her nose and the breeze kissed her face. For a moment, Tabitha considered lifting her mask and cool the sweat that was beginning to gather on her face. Then she remembered what she was meant to be doing and glanced sideways at Danielle, who began speaking without any urging.

"I hope Edmund wasn't too rude with you, Tabitha," Danielle began. Tabitha opened her mouth to remind her that Edmund had been charming, a complete gentleman, but Danielle continued. "He is a great brother, and I love him more than anything..."

"But something's happened?" Danielle nodded. "You can tell me. Listen, Danielle - the Doctor and I are not like anyone else you will ever meet, which is a good thing. Just like his name implies, he helps people, and I help him. If there's something wrong, something you're scared of, _tell me._ I want to help you." Tabitha fell silent for a moment, allowing Danielle to weigh the pros and cons of telling an absolute, yet sincere, stranger about her greatest stressor and fear. "Danielle, what's happened to your brother?"

"Will you hurt him? If I tell you to?"

"Do you want me to?"

"No."

"Then why would I?"

Danielle gave her a watery smile. As she began her story, the two women removed their masks, no secrets between them. "Three years ago or so, my brother had traveled to the continent. Everyday he sent me gifts and letters, and I counted the days until his return. But, when he did, Edmund was no longer my brother. His smile was gone, and he had become so cruel. Before, Edmund would have dinner with us in the dining hall; now, he's rarely ever home. I tried following him one night and got myself lost. When I tried talking to him about it, he grew angry and nearly struck me. Then he suddenly came back to his wits, begged me to forgive him, and ran off. He wasn't found until three days later, drunk and passed out in the gutter. _That _is not the Edmund I grew up with!"

"Did he ever hit you?" For some reason, that part stuck out more from the rest of the information. "After he returned, I mean."

"Never. Every time I think he's about to, he returns to normal and runs away from me, even goes out of his way to stay away from me. I don't know why. My brother adores me." A soft, reminiscent smile crept onto her face. "Before his trip, Edmund would greet me every morning with a hug and call me his butterfly before we went to breakfast with Mother and Father. That's why I chose this mask, to help him remember."

"Does he call you that anymore?"

"No, just Danielle. Not even sister." Danielle sniffled but fought back her tears. Tabitha gently squeezed her hand, encouraging her to continue. "He seems to have forgotten everything but how much he wanted to see me safe. Edmund was always protective of me. In fact, I'd be married right now if it wasn't for him." She chuckled at a memory that just resurfaced. "When I was sixteen, he got into a brawl with another man because he had called me gorgeous and kissed my hand. I was angry at my brother for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, but I understood why he did it. After we apologized to one another, we vowed to never let anything get in between us again. Now, I'd give anything to have the boy I grew up with back by my side, instead of this shadow that's replaced him."

"He sounded like a wonderful brother."

"He was," sighed Danielle. "Do you think you and your Doctor friend could help him? It'd be the greatest of birthday presents."

"First, we have to figure out what's wrong with him, if there is anything wrong with him." Tabitha did not doubt that there was something wrong with the boy; she had felt it herself when he had taken her hand. A chill had raced up her arm and down her spine, raising goose bumps on her skin. Even now, as she rubbed that hand with her other, she could feel its iciness. Danielle seemed to notice this and frowned. "Once we do, we'll try our hardest to save your brother." _If there's anything left of him to save, _but Tabitha did not say that. "This is not a guarantee or a promise, but we're going to try our hardest until..."

"You save him or he dies," Danielle offered morbidly. "I'd prefer the former to the latter, but he's become dangerous to himself and those surrounding him. Even tonight, I worry about my guests' safety. If you do have to kill him-" Her words were cut off by a sob. "I'm sorry." Before Tabitha could offer any words of comfort, Danielle had placed her mask back on her face and vanished back into the room. Tabitha ran a frustrated hand through her hair. Although she had gotten the information she wanted, Tabitha had no intention of hurting the girl. Pushing herself away from the railing, Tabitha inconspicuously walked back into party, not noticing the pair of enraged, blue-grey eyes burning into her back.

What felt like hours later, after mulling over everything Danielle had told her and attempting to make sense of it, Tabitha was sitting and eating at her designated table with an empty chair on her right (it was so convenient that not everyone could have made it to the party, and one couple who was meant to sit by the family's table were unable to attend) when the Doctor plopped into the empty chair with a bit more force than was necessary, earning reproachful glares from the others at the circular table. But the Doctor simply crossed his arms over his chest and poked his tongue out at them; disgusted, they looked away from him, falling into scandalized whispers with one another. When Tabitha asked him what he had learned, he merely turned his face away and pouted. "Doctor?"

"That Laura Highgarden is one tough woman," was all he said. Tabitha quirked an eyebrow, nonverbally asking him to elaborate. Rather reluctantly, the Doctor twisted around so she could get a full view of his swollen cheek. She could have easily traced the red hand print with a marker and not make a single mistake; it was THAT visible on his white skin. Tabitha snorted with laughter as her hand came up to gently stroke the injury. "I just asked one question, too! She didn't even let me finish before Westy started threatening me with his walking stick. Which, by the way, isn't actually a walking stick, just a clever, wooden ruse to hide a blade of high-tensile steel. Used to know a lovely doctor - a human doctor, mind you - who had a sword just like that. He lived with the most peculiar, fantastic, brilliant man and their dog-"

"Doctor, focus!" The Time Lord fell silent, his ramblings cut short by Tabitha's shout. "What did you ask her? And who's 'Westy?'"

"That would be Lord Wesley Highgarden. And I asked whether or not she knew know if her son happened to be a manic alien from another planet or galaxy bent on destroying everyone in this room and possibly on the earth. Humans are so touchy sometimes."

"Which is why they are your favorites. They're so humany-wumany" She pulled her hand away his face. "Also, you could have gone about that much more sensitively. From what I learned, the subject of Edmund is a delicate one in the household. Danielle cried when we started talking about her brother." The Doctor looked even more confused at the name, so Tabitha continued. "Danielle Highgarden? It's her birthday tonight, too."

"Yes! Danielle! Wonderful! What did you get out of her?"

Just as Tabitha was about to open her mouth and relay Danielle's tale to him, ice poured down her spine, and she gasped and shivered. Turning sharply, Tabitha's green eyes immediately found the Edmund's stony stare over the rim of his wineglass as he took a sip. Despite his calm appearance, the pure and unbridled rage burning in his eyes, which were now more blue that grey, scared her more than she liked to admit. She tried to turn away, but his gaze kept her rooted to the spot. It was not until a servant passed between the two did the connection sever, and he returned to speaking with his sister, a loving smile on his face. Tabitha could see the nervousness hidden beneath false joy in the set of Danielle's shoulders. Frowning, the TARDIS child turned back to the Doctor, who was staring at Edmund and Danielle interact with interest and confusion. "Doctor?"

"Why is his sister afraid of him?"

"That's what I was about to tell you, Doctor. You see-"

Suddenly, the room plunged into complete, total, and utter darkness. There was a scream, the sound of slicing metal and flesh hitting wood, and then an oppressive silence that worried Tabitha more than Edmund's eyes on her a moment ago. When the lights flickered back on, the entire room let out a single breath, and a single question was on everyone's mind: '_What just happened?'_ As each person wondered over that, coming up with their own theories, Danielle let out an earsplitting shriek. She was pointing at something at one of the other tables. Tabitha wasted no time in streaking to the girl's side, looking for what had terrified her so much. When her green eyes followed Danielle's line of sight, she closed her eyes in disgust and sorrow.

Hunched over the white tablecloth was the prone form of a young man. It was hard to believe that, as his face and neck had been so thoroughly demolished by the knife burrowed into the back of his head, its handle glimmering red with the man's blood beneath the light of the chandeliers. When the Doctor gently flipped him over, his head nearly rolled off of his neck, held only by a thin strip of flesh. Brown eyes stared into nothingness. His face was spattered with his blood, and his dark hair clung to his face, soaked with the warm, red, sticky liquid. Slowly, the Doctor closed the boys eyes, muttering, "I'm so sorry."

"What's the meaning of this?" Lord Wesley Highgarden demanded from his wife's side. At the sight of the blood, she had fainted, and one of her servants were attempting to fan her into wakefulness. He pointed an accusing finger at the Doctor scanning the boy with his sonic. Tabitha had Danielle wrapped in a hug, the human girl hiding her face in Tabitha's shoulder, and she gently stroked Danielle's blonde locks while whispering comforting words in her ear. But her eyes never strayed from the massacred boy the Doctor was examining. How could she? "What the bloody hell has just happened? Who are you?" As the Doctor answered Lord Highgarden and the two men fell into an argument, Tabitha gently pushed Danielle away so she could look into her eyes.

Removing both of their masks, Tabitha asked, "Did you know him, Danielle?" The girl nodded wordlessly. "Who was he?"

"I left out a part in the story: the boy my brother fought with remained close to me, a very good friend. So I had my mother invite him." Danielle, trembling, nodded at the body. "That's him. David." She smiled softly. "He was like a brother to me, after my real brother-"

"Danielle, don't cry." Edmund had skulked up to the women while they had been talking. His eyes locked onto Tabitha much like they had earlier. But, instead of fear, Tabitha stared back, not one to be deterred. Not looking away from the TARDIS child, Edmund pulled his sister away from Tabitha and gathered her into his own arms, oblivious to Danielle struggling to gat back to Tabitha's side. His grip was like iron, though, and she soon gave up with a huff and a quivering lip. "Miss Tabitha, would I be wrong in presuming that _you _are the reason for my sister's tears?"

"Yes, you would," Tabitha replied just as harshly. "She's crying because an old friend of hers has just died. No, that's an understatement. He was _slaughtered_." She searched for any sort of emotion in his eyes, but there was nothing. Only the coldness. "Do you care? At all? Your sister is crying, and you're hurting her." As if had had been shocked into life, Edmund released his sister. Danielle threw herself at Tabitha and sobbed into the TARDIS child's shoulder. "Edmund, I don't know what's happened, but I'm going to help. I'm going to fix this, in any way I can."

"He's died. No one can help, and there is nothing to fix."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." The two continued to stare at one another for a moment longer, the tension in the air nearly suffocating Danielle, before Edmund bowed and stalked away, back rigid. "Danielle, how much would you hate me if I said that I think your brother killed David?"

"Not at all. Why?"

Tabitha glanced at Danielle with a mixture of pity, anger, and sadness in her gaze. "Because I think your brother killed David."

* * *

**Over 7000 views?! You guys are spectacular! If I could, I would personally thank each and every one of you: those who favorited, those who reviewed, even those who just read the story. You are all wonderful. So THANK YOU! :D**


	17. Dancing in the Dark 3

**I'm honestly getting tired of putting these Author's Notes up here mostly because nobody reads them. I bet I could write absolute gibberish, and no one would know. So here it goes: I like narwhals; they're the unicorns of the ocean :D How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? Mommy made me mash my M&Ms. Hey, Macklemore! Can we go thrift shopping? Am I the only Whovian who does not like Rose Tyler? Chicken is the best food in the world! Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the sexiest Dwarf in the Hobbit of them all (and for those of you who DO read these, feel free to answer any of these questions)? Bingle bongle dingle dangle yikkity da yikkity do ping pong lippy tappy too ta. Bacon!**

**As you already know, I don't own Doctor Who. So let's just cut to the chase.**

**It's positively evil, the bad, bad bean. I hate the way it tastes. As does Chapter Sixteen!**

* * *

The Doctor and Tabitha swayed to the gentle music that was playing, spinning and stepping as the other couples on the dance floor did. Any normal time, the Doctor would have been dancing far too enthusiastically than was proper, drawing peals of laughter from the woman in his arms, drawing all stares, both friendly and otherwise, towards them. But, as it was, Tabitha was hardly paying attention to the Time Lord. Her green, wide eyes were shifting from Edmund prowling along the edge of the dance floor - his grey-blue eyes (more blue than grey at the moment) were locked onto her, never blinking or wavering - to Danielle dancing with another young man: Timothy Phillips, another close, male friend of the woman's.

After David's body had been cleared away, the blood cleaned, and the table and tablecloth replaced, Tabitha gingerly forced Danielle to tell her if any other 'close friends' had been invited, and there had only been one. When she met Timothy, Tabitha found him to be a shy gentleman who was absolutely infatuated with Danielle. He had vowed to protect the blonde human the moment Tabitha insinuated at the possibe danger surrounding her. What the boy did not realize is that, by staying close to Danielle, he was tip-toeing the line of risk that resided between safety and danger. Despite Tabitha telling him as much, Timothy had remained by her side, never touching and never suffocating, merely a comforting presence that Danielle was more than happy to have.

"Tabitha, what are you thinking?" the Doctor whispered into her ear, his lips brushing along the edge.

"That Edmund is going to strike sooner than we think. But how...?" Her eyes scanned the entire room, searching for something that could deal a killing blow but at the same time seem an accident. Although David's death certainly did not look like any accident, Tabitha knew Edmund would not be as conspicuous as he had been then. Once her eyes landed on the chandeliers above, she and the Doctor nearly slammed into another couple as she stopped short in both shock and an amused disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me. That had to be the most unoriginal idea ever."

"How do you know you're right?" The Doctor had followed her line of sight and thought the idea very _Phantom-of-the-Opera_-ish. However, and he hated to admit this, Edmund was bright, brighter than most humans or aliens (besides him and Tabitha, of course). He doubted the man would resort to something so... so... obvious! "Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately, I'm positive."

The Doctor said nothing after that, and the two continuer their waltz in a sullen silence. Though their bodies followed the movement, weaving through the other couples with relative ease, their minds were a million miles from the party. Tabitha's lingered on Edmund and Danielle, everything the girl had told her, and what could have happened to the brother to turn him into a 'shadow,' as Danielle had called him. For some reason, that word had nestled in the back of her mind. Danielle's choice of words, plus the darkness in which David had been killed, had been a large coincidence; and the Doctor had always said never to ignore a coincidence, unless you were busy. So Tabitha struggled to put the puzzle together, despite the fact that a few pieces were missing. She knew they would be revealed in the end, but Tabitha wondered if, by then, would it be to late.

The Doctor's mind was partially on the mystery at hand, but primarily on the woman who had one hand in his and the other resting on his shoulder. She was not pressed up against him in any way that could be considered intimate; in actuality, the only contact they had was their clasped hands, her free hand on him, and his arm wound around her waist. However, there was enough space between their bodies to comfortably fit a thin pillow. This was due to Tabitha constantly craning around to keep her eyes on Edmund and Timothy. Despite this, the Doctor could not help but relish the feeling of her hand in his. Also, she smelled faintly of wine, and the Doctor inhaled it deeply. Whenever Tabitha jerked around in his hold suddenly, though, he mentally slapped himself. Now was not the time to appreciate how beautiful she looked, or how sweet she smelled, or how soft her skin was, or...

"Doctor." Tabitha's voice cut into his thoughts, startling him to attention. "I think Edmund's about to attack."

"Why do you think that?"

"The song's almost over."

Indeed it was. Not long after she said that, the song reached its end, and males and females curtseyed to one another. As they were in their dips and bows, the lights cut off again, throwing the room into chaos. The Doctor shouted for Tabitha when he felt her race from his side. There was a massive crash followed by a feminine scream that sent the Doctor's hearts into a standstill. The lights returned, and there was a collective gasp for, in the center of the dance floor, the remains of a massive, golden chandelier twisted and reached for the ceiling. Broken shards of glass and crystal littered the floor. On the opposite side of the wreckage, the Doctor could see Danielle's horror-stricken face, pale with terror, and her hands covered her mouth. Her grey eyes, however, we not on the twisting metal, but on something at her feet. The Doctor sprinted to her side to find Timothy facedown on the ground with Tabitha atop him, her arms covering his head. She had tackled him out of the way of the falling chandelier, barely having it miss her booted feet by inches. Both human and TARDIS child looked back at it with a growing realization. Both of them had nearly died. If Tabitha had moved any slower, they would have.

"Have you finally gone mad?" the Doctor demanded when had had hauled her up with firm grips on her upper arms. Behind him, Danielle was tending to Timothy, whose eyes constantly flickered to Tabitha. She sent him a smile, and he nodded, returning it, before the Doctor shook her back to attention. "Tabitha, you could have gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking?" He reached up to cup her cheek and his voice dropped until Tabitha could hardly hear him. "You could've been killed."

As Tabitha opened her mouth to argue with the Time Lord (she would rather have been killed knowing it was saving another), another voice cut in with a whispered, "Thank you." Both time travelers turned to find Timothy leaning heavily against Danielle, his face as white as a ghost and shaking violently. Despite facing death, there was nothing but a deeply rooted gratitude aimed towards Tabitha. Leaning away from Danielle momentarily, he gripped her hand in both of his until she could no longer feel the blood sluggishly making its way to her fingertips. "You saved me."

"Don't mention it," Tabitha replied with a smile, forcing her hand back and shaking it to get the feeling to return. After Danielle led Timothy away to get the shaken boy a glass of wine, the Doctor accompanying them after much convincing from Tabitha, said woman silently made her way to Edmund's side. To a less trained eye, one who had not seen numerous centuries filled with horrors none could imagine, Edmund would have been the picture of ease. To Tabitha, however, she could see how his lips were set into a firm, angry line, his erect back, and how his hands at his side trembled with rage. Teeth bared like a defensive dog's, Tabitha spoke, speaking low enough so no one but Edmund would hear her words. "I suppose you think that that was very clever. I'd say otherwise. A bit... _cliché._"

"I know not what you speak of," Edmund said nonchalantly.

"Oh, don't you?"

Edmund glanced down at her. There was something in her gaze that sparked something within him. It was not hatred, which he had come so used to feeling, nor was it a dominance over another's feeble mind, which he commonly felt around others. Instead, what it stirred up was an intrigue. This woman was not afraid of him, or even intimidated. He could see that she had experienced much worse in her life, though she appeared hardly older than Danielle. In her eyes, there was a challenge, one he was determined to rise to and overcome. It both impressed and infuriated him. "You are so young, and yet your eyes hold such wisdom and foolhardy that comes from years that far surpasses your own. Just how old are you, Miss Tabitha?"

"I've heard it's rude to ask a woman her age, but I never understood why. I suppose I'll have Amelia explain it to me when we meet again." She rambled to bite back the anger boiling within her. Tabitha did not share his glance, her gaze stuck on the Doctor talking to Danielle and Timothy. "You're hurting her, you know. Danielle, your butterfly." This elicited a feral growl from the man beside her. If she were a normal, human woman, Tabitha would have jumped back and scurried off. As it were, she could hardly suppress the shiver that went down her back and settled in her stomach. "What are you, Edmund? Or do you have another name? Because the boy Danielle knew is not you."

The man chuckled. "So long, Miss Tabitha. We'll be seeing each other again very soon." With one final bow, he slipped away from her. Tabitha inhaled deeply, released the breath slowly, and slightly jumped when the Doctor's hand found her shoulder. She had not heard him come up. Encouraged and comforted by his presence, Tabitha reached up and squeezed his hand.

"Don't ever do something like that again." Tabitha did not need to ask to know that he was referring to the chandelier incident. During that moment, with her connection to the TARDIS and her mum's connection to the Time Lord, Tabitha could feel his hearts beating rapidly, pause, and nearly burst from his chest when he could not find her once the light had returned. She knew every thought and feeling he had had ever since they arrived here. Some caused her face to warm, but she had forced the blush back. Others made her tense in worry and sadness. So, instead of arguing, Tabitha drew the Time Lord into a hug. It was not a promise - how could she promise when she ran with the Doctor? Waking each morning meant tempting death. - but it was enough, and he relaxed into her arms and buried his face into her hair, breathing deeply. "We're going to have to keep a closer eye on Timothy. Now that he's failed, I don't think Edmund is going to try to remain unseen next time."

"We're going to have to be on our guard at all times," Tabitha continued off the Doctor's thoughts. Suddenly, her head snapped up and her eyes scanned the room. "Doctor, where _are_ Timothy and Danielle?" The Time Lord did not answer. Rather, he spun until she could spot the two humans standing by Danielle's parents, their hand intertwined. "They're safe for now, but we cannot let them out of our sight. Understand?" This time, he did not respond. "Doctor?"

"Hm...?"

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

Out of her line of sight and atop her head, the Doctor flushed. In reality, he _had _heard every word, but his brain had refused to process it as it was too focused on the feel of her soft spikes against his cheek and the faint smell of grapes invading his nostrils. "Of course," he murmured, hoping she would believe him. "Every single word."

"Then what did I say?"

The Doctor was speechless - "Uh..." - and Tabitha laughed before pulling from his embrace. "Sorry."

"Go find Timothy and watch after him. Send Danielle to me." Tabitha laughed and gave him a friendly push towards the younger and older couples. She watched him cut into the conversation, which earned him a glare from Lord Highgarden whose hand tightened over the hilt of his hidden blade. The Doctor conversed quietly with Timothy and Danielle, gestured to Tabitha, and separated the two, nudging Danielle towards the TARDIS child. As the Doctor guided Timothy to a table with nibbles presented, the two woman walked around the room in a tense silence, each having fallen prey to their own thoughts; not even the strident sound of glass shards scratching against the floor as the servants cleaned the wreckage could disturb them. To break through the mask of worry on the human's face, Tabitha asked, "Has anything else been planned for tonight?"

"Well, after dancing and dinner, we were going to have a scavenger hunt in the maze. Father made it so Mother and I would be the victors, of course. It's fitting, seeing as it's our birthdays. And yet..."

"Yet... what?"

"I don't think that that's the most brilliant idea after what's happened to David and what nearly happened to you and Timothy." Danielle looked at calm, collected woman on her arm. "I will never be able to repay you for that. Though I lost one dear friend, the other is alive because you risked your life. You are a guardian angel, Miss Tabitha. Both you and your Doctor." For the first time tonight, Danielle smiled. A true, genuine, and pleasing smile. "How is it that I've never heard of either of you?"

Tabitha shrugged. "We travel back and forth. It's hard for us to stay in one place for a long time." She was quick to change the subject before Danielle could question her further. "You think this scavenger hunt is a bad idea?"

"Someone may actually die this time, and I cannot hope that you and your Doctor will always be there to save the day. It's not that I don't trust you, because I do, with my life. But even the greatest of men will fail the simplest of tasks, and this is far from simple. Which is why I am going to ask my father to canc-"

"No," Tabitha cut it, surprising the human. Danielle thought Tabitha would have wholeheartedly agreed to cancelling the scavenger hunt and allowing all the remaining guests to return to the safety of their homes. However, what Danielle did not know is that Tabitha's mindset had flipped. She was no longer thinking like the rational daughter of the TARDIS. Instead, Tabitha was thinking like the Doctor, and she knew that letting the guests leave would only give Edmund the opportunity he desired. He could assault Timothy in a side street or follow the boy home. No, it was far too risky. The maze, though, had few possibilities that Tabitha found more favorable, and those were at a stretch. But, if the Doctor and Tabitha were really clever and very careful... "Do the hunt, as scheduled. I might just have a plan. But I'm going to need you to trust me."

"Of course," Danielle replied happily. "What do you need?"

Tabitha smirked.

* * *

An hour after dinner, when it was nearing midnight, everyone had been ushered into the garden to the entrance of the labyrinth Tabitha had seen earlier. David's brutal death and the attempt on Timothy's life appeared to have been entirely forgotten, as the guests chatted with one another amiably, sharing their own theories as to why they were outside. Tabitha stood among the crowd on her tiptoes as she strained to find the Doctor; it did not take long as he was doing the same, and they stared grimly from one another across the crowd. It was now that Tabitha's plan was going to be put into plan. With it so close, she was beginning to have her doubts.

_"So let me see if I'm getting this straight," the Doctor began slowly, as if he were speaking to a rather stubborn but dimwitted child, "you want me, you, Danielle, Timothy, and Edmund to go into the maze in five separate directions in the hopes that you or I will find Edmund before he finds Timothy. Since when do I think like that? Well, always, but it sounds worse coming from you! No offense," he added hastily. "It's ridiculous, and I don't like it. Nope, nope, nope. Give me something different._

_"Do you have a better plan?"_

_"Give me a few minutes. One will come to me."_

_"While you're thinking, I'm going to talk to Lord and Lady Highgarden. I doubt they'd slap me or threaten me with a sword." She stared pointedly at his swollen, red cheek. But the Doctor was not in the mood for jokes._

_"There has to be something better than that!" Truthfully, the Doctor did not like the idea of Tabitha running off alone in the dark when a cold blooded killer could spring up behind her at any second. The Doctor had seen Edmund's not-so-subtle stares and glares towards the TARDIS child, and he knew that Tabitha would be his next target once Timothy was out of the way. She had stopped Edmund from fulfilling his plans and was now the only thing standing between him and his prey. But the Doctor would be standing between Edmund and Tabitha, not that the boy needed to know. For now, Edmund would remain oblivious to the Doctor viciously protecting the TARDIS child, but that only meant that Edmund would be more liberal with his attack, holding nothing back. Tabitha could not survive that, even if she _was _unlike anything on this planet._

_The Doctor had faced creatures who moved in the cover of darkness like the one that had possessed Edmund, and he had never stopped them. Saved himself and his friends? Mostly. Stalled them a bit? Of course. Gotten rid of them entirely? Never. He did not even know where to begin in stopping a monster like it. And, if he had no clue where to start, what chance did Tabitha had in the end? None at all. So, no. The Doctor absolutely refused._

_"There's nothing else I can think of."_

_"Then what choice do we have?"_

_The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair. As much as he hated to admit it, Tabitha was right; and, in hindsight, it was not such a bad idea. Only if they eliminated the crazed alien trying to massacre them. With that in mind, he took out his sonic screwdriver, placed it in her palm, and curled her hand around it. He did not let go, though. "Keep this with you. I'll feel better knowing you have it."_

_"What am I going to do with it? Build a cabinet?"_

_"Oi!" They both knew Tabitha was only joking, and it served to dispel the worry each felt for the other. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tucked her head beneath his chin, grinning into his chest when she felt him return the embrace. When he spoke next, his words were devoid his usual joviality. "Stay safe. Please."_

_"Only if you will. And take this back." Tabitha tucked the sonic back into his pocket. She understood his stance on the matter: though it was not much, it would help her in a sticky situation. But she knew that the Doctor would need it more than she would. "I appreciate the thought, but you're going to need this more than I do, Doctor. Take the sonic, and use it to find me later. Alright?" The Doctor nodded, and Tabitha leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."_

After that, they had pulled apart and prepared for the evening. She had no clue as to where the Doctor had gone, but Tabitha had spoken to Lord and Lady Highgarden about her theories, apologized for the Doctor's actions, and presented her plan. Lady Highgarden was against it, screeching that it was '_her birthday and she was not going to let two mad drunkards ruin that for her!'_ It had taken much pleading for Lord Highgarden to consider it, and even more begging to have him agree. He had then pulled his wife away to convince her, despite the tears running down her face. For, in her heart, Lady Highgarden knew that there was something severely wrong with her son. So, with a heavy heart, she consented. Tabitha had vowed to try her hardest to save whatever was left of Edmund, but she wondered if it was a hopeless cause. However, Tabitha could not afford to think that way and forced it to the back of her mind.

Now, standing in front of the entrance to the maze, with Danielle and Timothy in front of her and the Doctor and Edmund behind, that thought slowly wriggled its way back into her consciousness. She glanced back at Edmund, who smirked at her with malice in his gaze. Returning her eyes forward, she slipped into a moment of peace as Lord Highgarden announced the rules for the hunt through the maze: only five will enter (at Tabitha's behest), everyone else can place bets which will be collected at the end of the night, etc. But she did not hear a word of it. Her mind was so focused on her plan and the many ways it could go wrong that she did not realize that it was her turn to enter the maze - Danielle went first as it was her birthday, and Timothy followed the moment she was out of sight - until the Doctor gave her an encouraging nudge and whispered a breathy, "Stay safe."

Nodding, Tabitha hiked up her dress, nearly laughed at the scandalized gasp from the crowd as they examined her mannish boots, and sprinted into the maze, taking the fourth right.

Though a half moon shined above in the navy blue expanse, and though stars dotted the sky, Tabitha could hardly see the dead end and the left turn in front of her as she slowed to a walk, breathing heavily ."Oh, Edmund," she sang, her voice echoing down the path that stretched on before her. Oddly enough, she could not hear the other party guests mingling just outside the maze. It was just her and the silence. "Wherever could you be?"

"_Behind you,_" a demonic voice hissed.

Tabitha jumped and spun around, but there was nothing there except the mist that curled around her ankles and the darkness that swallowed everything in its way. She stumbled back with a sigh, feeling her heart (or hearts) return to their normal speed. "Relax. You're paranoid, Tabitha. No one's here yet."

"_Are you sure?_" the voice questioned again, this time on her right. However, there was nothing there but the towering hedge. Even when Tabitha braved the twigs and leaves that caught on her dress and in her hair, she found nothing. Rubbing weary hands down her face, Tabitha was surprised to find herself shaking. Despite the chill of the night and the shadows of the maze, those were not what chilled her. It was the voice, full of confidence and malevolence. It sent uncontrollable tremors down her spine. To put it frankly, it terrified her, and it seemed to guess her thoughts: "_Are you afraid?"_

"Should I be?" she replied hesitantly.

"_Yes."_ Tabitha's breath now came out in short gasps as the panic intensified. "_Run."_

"Gladly." Turning her back on the way she had come, Tabitha raced down the path as fast as she could, not paying attention to what turns she took or how many openings she passed. All she knew was that she had to escape the voice, whose laughter followed her wherever she went. So terrified by the shadows following her - whenever she looked back, she could no longer see the path behind her - that she did not realize someone was coming up the upcoming side path until they barreled into her, sending them both to the ground. Tabitha rolled out from under her assailant, jumped to her feet, and held her fists up at the person threateningly as they staggered to their feet. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realized it was Timothy. "Are you alright?"

"I-I heard a voice, in my head," he panted. "It said it was going to kill me."

_"And I am,"_ the voice replied, causing the two to stiffen. "_Both of you. However, it's no fun if you just stand there and let me get you. Like I said earlier, Miss Tabitha: Run."_

"Come on," Tabitha shouted. She grabbed Timothy's hand, and the two ran, just as the voice commanded.

* * *

"Doctor, do you even know where we're going?" Danielle asked exasperatedly, being pulled along behind the Time Lord through the maze. She had found him earlier, yelling at the glowing, metal stick in his hand. Danielle had wondered why, but then thought it better not to ask.

"Of course I do. We just haven't gotten there yet." His voice was distracted, and Danielle wondered momentarily if he was thinking about Tabitha. Not for the first time that night, Danielle struggled to figure out the Doctor's and Tabitha's relationship. Whenever the woman mentioned the time Lord, Danielle could see pure joy dancing in Tabitha's eyes, and a soft smile would make its way onto her face, as if Tabitha did not even realize it. With the Doctor, his overprotectiveness led to short and playful spats between the two, which then led to hugging and grinning. Now that Tabitha was not with them, Danielle noticed the firm, almost painful, grip he had on her hand and the tension in his shoulders. His fear for Tabitha went far beyond worry, and Danielle tried not to smile at that. _They have the most abnormal friendship, if it _is _nothing more than platonic, _Danielle thought.

"We're lost, aren't we?"

"No! Not lost at all. We've just not found what we're trying to get to or find. In fact, I'd say we're right where we need to be. So, no, we're not lost. " the Doctor said unconvincingly. He strode around a corner, leading them both into a sudden dead end. A moment of silence passed before the Doctor sighed and admitted, "Now, we're lost."

"I knew it!"

"Being in here's made my sense of direction all wonky! Besides, it's not that bad."

"We're lost, Timothy and Tabitha are nowhere to be found, and my brother is running around free, trying to kill Timothy - no, it's not that bad. It's a _catastrophe!_" Danielle huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you have any idea what's happened to my brother? Or how you're going to stop it?"

"Honestly, haven't the foggiest." Throwing her hands into the air, frustrated, Danielle stomped off back onto the path they had just left, waiting for the Time Lord to catch up to her, which did not take very long. He clasped onto her wrist and pulled her back. With pleading eyes and a frown, his brow furrowed, the Doctor continued, slowly releasing the woman. "Danielle, I'm sorry. This isn't a time to joke, and I'm doing everything I can right now without Tabitha with me to bounce ideas off of. I'm trying."

"Not hard enough."

"What do you want me to do?!"

Just as Danielle was about to answer, they both heard a groan of pain. Knowing that they were near the center of the maze and that it was a small clearing, it was Danielle's turn to pull the Doctor through the maze until they arrived at the clearing. Someone had collapsed in the center of the clearing and was now rousing. Although it was too dark to see his face, Danielle knew the voice and huddled behind the Doctor in fear. It was Edmund.

"Where am I?" Edmund asked the air, starting when someone actually responded.

"You in the center of a maze at Highgarden Manor," the Doctor explained, kneeling by the boy's head. Looking down into Edmund's eyes, the Doctor was surprised to see that they were more grey than blue, like when they had met earlier. But he did not let this show. Instead, he hauled Edmund to his feet, brushed the dirt off his suit, and stepped back to stand in front of Danielle. "And we, along with two other companions who have not arrived yet, are hunting you down." At this point, the Doctor had removed his sonic from his pocket and gestured to the man before him. "Now, here's my question: what are you doing here when the person you want is somewhere out there?"

"What do you mean?" replied the other man, confusion in his gaze. Edmund's eyes found Danielle's from where she stood with the Doctor. "Butterfly, who is this man?"

The sound of her old nickname sent a spear of hope through Danielle, and she cautiously made her way towards her brother. "What did you call me?"

"Butterfly?" It came out as more of a question. "I've always called you that." He lifted an eyebrow when Danielle gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "What's happened? Oi! What are you doing, sir?" The Doctor flashed the sonic screwdriver's green light into Edmund's eyes, temporarily blinding him, before scanning the rest of his body. When finished, the Doctor examined the readings with widening eyes. He gave Edmund two more cursory scans, but they both gave the same result. "What's going on?"

"That's impossible."

"Doctor," Danielle cut in. She had returned to her brother's side and wrapped an arm around his waist, helping him stay on his feet. "What's impossible?"

"That thing that Tabitha was worried about is gone. Your brother's completely, 100 percent human."

"Of course I am!" Edmund shouted, indignant. "What else would I be?"

But no one paid him the slightest bit of attention. "That can't happen! Whatever it is, it can't jump from person to person, unless it's this one thing I met on a train one time on another planet with my old companion (her name was Donna Noble. Most _fantastic_ person you'll never meet), but that's another story. The point is that Edmund was possessed by something sinister, something Tabitha did not like and neither did I, for that matter; but it's not there anymore. It's just gone, and I don't even know what is it! HOW could it have just left? Vanished! Ka-put!" The Doctor paused. "Unless... unless... OH! That's brilliant! If it wasn't so hell bent on killing us all, I'd give it standing ovation. It's not better than time travel, but it comes pretty close! Oh, that wonderful."

"Doctor, you're not making any sense."

"Of course I am. You're just not keeping up. But don't you see? It's using the cover of darkness to travel around, not unlike the Vashta Nerada. For all I know, it could be a shadow using other shadows! That's brilliant! But now why did it leave a perfectly healthy, handsome host?" The Doctor suddenly stalked towards Edmund until his face was inches from the human's. "Tell me, Edmund, can you remember anything that's happened tonight?" Edmund mutely shook his head. "Though not. That puts a bit of a damper on things, but we may be able to make it work to our advantage!"

"You're asking why the thing, this Shadow, left my brother?" Danielle questioned for clarification. The Doctor nodded, his mind racing. "It's obvious, then. Whatever is it, it left to go after Timothy and Tabitha. There's no other explanation. Edmund doesn't have blood on his hand from killing David, because it was not him. It was the shadow, and it also was the one who knocked down the chandelier. It all connects."

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Edmund snapped.

"Are you sure, Danielle?" the Doctor asked.

"Positive. So that means, wherever they are, Timothy and Tabitha are in danger. We need to find them quickly."

"I couldn't agree more." The Doctor's voice was laden with anger. Anger at the shadow for even thinking about harming Tabitha. Anger at Edmund for not remembering what had happened. Anger at himself for letting Tabitha go off on her own. From the beginning, the Shadow had taken a keen interest in the TARDIS child, and the Doctor had brushed her misgivings towards Edmund off. Now, if they did not find her and Timothy in time, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life. "Let's go." The Doctor turned to search for Tabitha, but Danielle held him back with a hand wrapped around his upper arm. "What?"

"How are we going to find them? The Shadow could be anywhere."

"This," the Doctor began, flicking on the sonic screwdriver, "is going to lead me straight to her. If there aren't anymore stupid questions, both of you follow me." The Time Lord and the humans fled from the clearing, following the sonic's signal and hoping it would lead them to both Tabitha and Timothy, alive and well.


	18. Dancing in the Dark 4

**Do I have something to say here? Not really. Thinking up something important or witty gets exhausting after a while. So this is just going to be a massive thank you to all of you who have favorited, followed, and reviewed -deep breath-... TTTTHHHHHHAAAAAANNNNNKKKKK YYYYOOOOUUUU! :D :D :D :D :D :D**

**All you need to know is that I don't own Doctor Who. Never have, never will.**

**If I had to give the Doctor a nickname, it'd probably be 'Jelly Bean.' How many of you agree with me (probably not many)? :P You can think on that while reading Chapter Seventeen!**

**(I wouldn't _really _call him Jelly Bean. I just needed a rhyme. If by some odd twist of reality, Jelly Baby rhymed with seventeen, then I'd use that instead.) XD **

* * *

Tabitha yanked Timothy to his feet when his foot caught on a root. He had fallen to all fours, tore holes in the knees of his trousers, and scraped and bloodied his hands and knees, but the boy continued running, knowing the alternative was much more gruesome than a few bumps and bruises. Occasionally, he would lead as he knew the maze better than she did, having visited Highgarden Manor many time prior to that night. But when the shadow sprang up in front of them, accompanied by the chilling voice, Tabitha led, her fear making her much quicker than the lumbering Timothy and her mind much sharper. "It's leading us right where it wants us!"

"And where is that?" Timothy panted behind her. Tabitha could offer no answer, and certainly no words of reassurance came to mind. If they did not reunite with the Doctor soon, she knew that the shadow would attack. Her mind continued down that path, despite her best attempts to stay away from it: _if Timothy were attacked first, then could I slip away and get to the Doctor while it's distracted with...? No! I can't leave him. Besides, he doesn't deserve to die like that. No one does. _Timothy's next question pulled her from her thoughts. "Where's your doctor fellow? You say earlier that he'd be able to find you wherever you are? So where is he?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't- _Oof!_" During their conversation, neither human nor TARDIS child had noticed the group running towards them from the adjacent path, resulting in a collision course. The two groups went down in a tangle of limbs and cloth. Tabitha was the first up, pulling Timothy up beside her. Imagine her immense joy when the Doctor jumped to his feet, spinning around himself until his eyes landed on Tabitha. The two wasted no time in pulling the other person into a bone-crushing hug. Behind them, Danielle and Timothy were doing the same, with the human woman explaining what had happened since their separation, but the two time travelers paid them no attention.

"Are you hurt?" the Doctor asked, pulling away just far enough for his eyes to rake over her form. Other than the scratches and bruises on her face and her now flattened hair, Tabitha was relatively unharmed, and the Doctor could not find the words to relay his relief. Not that he could think properly, anyways. Tabitha's grin and sparkling, green eyes knocked the breath out of him, and all sense evaporated. When her arms wrapped around his waist once more and her head pressed itself against his chest so as to hear the rapid beating of his twin hearts, the Doctor forgot everything around him. There was no Danielle, or Timothy, or Edmund. There was no shadow or threat of death. There was not Time Lord or TARDIS child. It was only the Doctor and Tabitha, and he was perfectly content to have time stop right then.

He did not know how Tabitha felt towards him, but he was just beginning to understand his feelings for her. And, in that moment where he was free to indulge himself without consequence, the Doctor could not deny that he felt much more for the TARDIS child than just friendship. The Doctor pressed a kiss to the top of her head. _She doesn't need to know, though, _he thought, relishing the fact that Tabitha was in no hurry to end the embrace either. If anything, he felt her arms tighten around him. _Not yet, anyways._

"Doctor," Tabitha said suddenly as she peeked over his shoulder, "is that Edmund? I mean, the _real _Edmund Highgarden? Not Edmund plus some." But there was no reason to ask. She could sense that Edmund was fully human once again. Danielle had her brother back. Although Tabitha was thrilled, that made her wonder where the shadow had gone.

Smiling, the Doctor pulled Tabitha around to introduce her to Danielle's no-longer-corrupted/possessed brother. "Edmund Highgarden, I would like you to meet Tabitha. Tabitha, this is Edmund Highgarden." Unlike earlier where he had been flirtatious, Edmund bowed respectfully in the presence of the woman, making an advance the farthest thing from his mind. He would not even consider it, seeing how firmly the Doctor's arm was wound around her waist and how close the Time Lord had pulled her body to his.

"It's an honor, Ma'am."

"Likewise." Tabitha gave him a short curtsey. "How are you feeling, Edmund?"

"Terribly confused."

"Running with the Doctor, you get used to it."

"Alright, Doctor," Danielle cut in before their conversation could progress any further," now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, what do we do now? That thing is still out there somewhere. Wait." She turned to Timothy on her side and brushed his hair from his face. "You two were running from the Shadow; after it left my brother, it went after both of you. Did it ever catch up to you? Are either of you hurt?" Both of them shook their heads. "Thank goodness."

"It wants to kill us," Timothy elaborated. "If it were not for Miss Tabitha, I would be dead. First in the ballroom with the chandelier, and now here in the maze with the shadow. Once again, you've saved my life, and I will forever be grateful." Tabitha halfheartedly waved off his words with an airy, exhausted hand that flopped back to her side. The Doctor, his arm still wrapped around her, took Tabitha's hand and laced his fingers through hers. "You're an angel, Lady Tabitha. A guardian angel. Thank you, so very much."

"_How touching,"_ the voice hissed, venom in his voice. The three humans huddled closer together, looking around each other in search of the unseen voice. The Doctor tightened his hold on the TARDIS child, sonic screwdriver at the ready. "_But I'm getting tired of this. Run, or die."_

"But why?" the Doctor shouted into the air. "Why should we run? Why should we die? I see no point to either option, truthfully. Now, here's my next question: who are _you _to make such an ultimatum? An enemy I can't see or hear seems like a rubbish excuse for a villain, if you ask me. So, who are you? Or what are you? Because, personally, I'd just be tickled pink to know who or what in the entirety of the cosmos has the audacity to even _consider_ threatening Tabitha." The more he rambled, the darker his voice became until it was nearly a growl. It caused the humans to shiver in horror. In the short time they had known the man, with his large smile and aloof façade, they never expected him to possess such darkness. "If it was me you were threatening, I'd be fine. Figure out a plan, stop you, and then be on my merry way in the TARDIS - that's me. But you've involved Tabitha in this, and that put you on my bad side. That's a terrible place to be."

"_Who are you?"_ the voice demanded, genuinely confused and somewhat intrigued.

Smirking, the Doctor answered, "I'm the Doctor, and you're frustrating me." To calm himself, the Doctor twirled his sonic between his fingers until it was nothing but a blur of silver and green in the light of the half moon above. "Since you know me, and you scared these humans, _and_ threatened Tabitha, I think I have a right to know who or what I'm talking to? Don't you think?" He turned to the trembling humans, as if expecting them to have his answer. They were all too frightened to say anything. So, with a roll of his eyes, the Doctor turned to Tabitha. Despite the paleness of her skin - whether from fear or from the moonlight, he could not tell - her back was straight with determination. "Tabitha, what do you think?" She shrugged, but the Doctor could feel the tension in her back. He moved his arms to her shoulders and gave the right a gentle rub, offering her whatever strength he could. "So, who are you?"

"_Isn't it obvious? I'm the darkness."_ Immediately following his words, a cyclone of shadows surrounded the five. The Doctor shouted when he felt Tabitha ripped from his side. He jumped in that direction, but a shadow jerked him back by his collar, choking him. A hand groped at his jacket, thrusting itself into his pocket and removing his sonic screwdriver. The green light flashed, the sonic released a high pitched noise that sent the humans to their knees with their hands over their ears and their mouths open in a silent scream, and the shadows vanished with a shriek. Once they realized that they were alone and safe for the time being, all eyes turned to Tabitha, who stood with the screwdriver above her head. Face impassive, she dropped her hand, and the buzzing ceased.

"Whatever that thing was," Edmund gasped, shakily getting to his feet, "it doesn't seem overly fond of your silver stick, Sir Doctor."

"I knew there was a reason I loved this thing!" the Doctor exclaimed after Tabitha handed him back the sonic, pressing an affectionate kiss to the cold metal. Suddenly, he rounded on Tabitha. "And you! What was that? Quick thinking, fast action - you're absolutely brilliant!" He wrapped his arms around her and spun Tabitha around. She laughed, swatting playfully at him when he kissed her cheek. "Absolutely wonderful, you are. Top notch!" After planting one more kiss on her forehead, the time travelers turned back to the humans. "Downright extraordinary you are, Tabitha. Right, so, what do we know?"

"Know about what?"

"The shadow, Eddie boy! What do we know about the shadow?"

"Other than the fact that it's terrifying and intent on destroying us all?" Danielle added. Tabitha noticed that Danielle had latched onto Timothy and refused to let go. Though the boy's face was as red as a tomato, he had placed a hand on the small of her back, acting as a pillar on which Danielle could cling to.

"Not all of us," Tabitha countered. "Timothy first, and then me for getting in the way of his first attempt to kill Timothy with the chandelier. If I had to guess who'd be third, it'd be Edmund, followed by the Doctor." Tabitha left out her final thought, hesitant to state it in case she was wrong: _Danielle would remain untouched. _At the root of it all, the shadow was doing all this to protect the human. David had been a potential suitor, Timothy _was_ a suitor, and the two were a threat to the shadow, embodying the very real possibility that Danielle would be taken away from it to live the life of any other high born wife. When Tabitha had spoken to Danielle at the party, the shadow had seen the woman run in sobbing, and its hatred turned on Tabitha. _Living in Edmund so long had made it care for her like an older brother, _Tabitha realized. _Amazing._

"Me?" Edmund gaped like a fish out of water. "Why me? I didn't do anything to that shadow! Why would it want to kill me?"

"No witnesses," Timothy whispered. All gazes swiveled towards him, astonished. If it was possible, the boy flushed even further and stared down at Danielle's dainty hands on his arm. "My uncle is Detective Inspector of Scotland Yard, and he often tells me about all the criminals he has caught, what crimes they committed and why. My mother was never happy about that, but I found it fascinating. You'd be surprised as to how many people are murdered because they 'knew too much,' as my uncle would say." He chuckled. "I always thought it was preposterous... it's harder to think that way when _you're _the victim."

"Depends on the occasion," the Doctor began. "There was this one time I-"

"Doctor," Tabitha cut in, fear in her voice.

But the Doctor continued, as if he had not heard her at all. "And he wasn't too pleased with me. Sent a hit man! What the funny thing though is that I ended up trailing after the hit man while he was looking for me. Turns out, he had been following the wrong guy the entire time. When I told him-"

"Doctor."

"Yes?" replied the Time Lord at last. "You rang?" Tabitha said nothing and continued to stare down the path. The Doctor followed her line of sight. Despite the night surrounding them, the light of the half moon and the stars above were enough to illuminate the way. However, farther down the path, a wall of the blackest shadows was making its way towards the small group. The Doctor could see the shadows taking forms in the wall: grasping claws, gaping mouths, emaciated faces. All with one purpose: to kill. Grabbing Tabitha's hand in a vice grip, the Doctor shouted, "Run!" before taking off after the fleeing humans. Unfortunately, it was not long before the group came to a shuddering halt.

"They're in front of us, too!" Danielle screeched, stopping short in front of an immovable barrier of shadows.

"This way!" The Doctor turned down a path on their right, leading the humans and Tabitha as far away from the shadows as possible. The two could feel the frigid air seeping through their clothes, coursing up and down their spines, causing them to shiver in cold and fear, as the skeletal hands snagged at Tabitha's dress (she ripped it trying to escape from the shadow's clutches) and the Doctor's coat. "Why did I wear this suit! Something bad always happens when I wear it. Tabitha, remind me to throw it into a supernova the next time we see one." She laughed, a momentary distraction from death on their heels.

"Doctor!" Edmund shouted from ahead. "We're trapped!"

"Trapped where?" The two time travelers turned onto the path and found themselves in the center of the maze where Danielle and the Doctor had found Edmund. The three humans stood trembling in the middle of the clearing, eyes shifting anxiously from one path to another, every one blocked by a wall of shadow. When Tabitha and the Doctor had entered the clearing, the path behind them was barred as well. "Oh, well, it fits. The grand stage, and our final stand. What better place than the center of it all?"

"_Quite the dramatist, aren't you?" _the voice questioned.

"Just a bit." He shoved his hands into his pockets, the picture of nonchalance. "I'm a bit of a talker, too. 'The gob that doesn't stop' - that's me. Hello."

"_Tell me, Sir Doctor - yes, I know exactly who you are. Your name and your reputation, infamous as it is, has spread across all of time and space, to the darkest corners and deepest pits. To the very depths of hell itself. You, Doctor, are legendary. The last of the Time Lords who watched on as his people, his planet, his humanity, burned to ash, knowing it was his doing. Now travelling with humans, what else can he do but turn them into his loyal subjects? Because isn't that what all Lords need? Slaves? Only to destroy them in the end. No human can compare or fill the void left by the death of your civilization. And it's all... your...f-"_

"Shut up," someone hissed. The Doctor turned to find Tabitha shaking. From rage. "You don't know anything about him."

"_Don't I?"_ Suddenly, one of the shadows broke from the rest. Taking on a vaguely humanoid form, it stood before Tabitha and the Doctor, towering over them. A dark claw darted out to run down her cheek, sapping away all the warmth from her skin. But she stood firm, though the Doctor attempted to pull her back. "_And who are you who know him so well, little human?"_

"Who I am is none of your concern, but I know him well enough. The Doctor's kind and gentle, with the two largest hearts any world will ever see. They hold all the love for the entirety of the universe and every species in it. Everything he does is for the good of those he travels with, those he feels the need to protect. Sometimes the decisions he makes are hard and painful, but that's because he has no other choice. He doesn't stop, though. He presses on, being savior of the worlds and the weary traveler and so much more in one. Not because he feels an obligation to, because no one deserves his kindness. The Doctor does it because he wants to." Tabitha felt the Doctor's hold loosen on hers. He did not believe a single word she said, Tabitha realized. Rather than letting him move away from her, she grabbed onto his wrist and brought him around so she could stare sideways at him, her eyes filled with the faith she had in the Time Lord. He tried to smile, but his mouth betrayed him and frowned. "His reputation is well known, and that's only because of the great good he's done. Not because of the difficult choices he's made. I trust the Doctor, more than anything or anyone."

"_You know nothing of the darkness he possesses."_

"Unfortunately, after as long as I've known him, I'm all too aware. But the Doctor's stronger than it."

"_And if he weren't?" _Tabitha 'hmm-ed,' not liking where this was going. "_What if this doctor, the man who fights on the side of the angels, fell? Embraced his demons?"_ Without waiting for an answer, the shadow swatted Tabitha aside as if she were a rag doll, and Danielle, followed by Edmund and Timothy, did not hesitate in running to her side. The Doctor would have as well, if the shadow had not coiled itself around his neck, wrenched his mouth open, and forced itself down his throat. Edmund and Timothy struggled to keep Tabitha away from the Time Lord. She thrashed in their grip, snarling at the shadow. No one hurts the Doctor without her consent.

Suddenly, the shadows surrounding the Doctor dissipated, leaving the Time Lord to fall to his knees and grip the ground in agony as the darkness settled and expounded within him. Tabitha felt the humans slacken their hold on her, and she jerked free from their grasp and ran to kneel by the Doctor. Pushing his floppy hair from his face, damp with a cold sweat, she silently asked, "Doctor?"

"_Not quite._" It was the darkness that spoke, but the Doctor's mouth that moved. Before Tabitha could think about scrambling back to safety, the possessed Time Lord lashed out and backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling. Her cheek stung, and she raised a hand to cover the red, swelling skin. Staring at the Doctor in shock, she hardly noticed Edmund rush to her side, gather her in his arms, help her to her feet, and pull her away from the Doctor as he stood. The darkness stared down at The Doctor's hands, getting a feel for his new host. He turned towards the humans and the TARDIS child, and Tabitha gasped at his eyes. They were no longer the sky blue she loved so much; they were as dark as the shadows that surrounded them. The pupil, the iris, the white of his eyes - all turned to black. "_How do you feel about you precious doctor now?"_

"You're not him," Danielle answered for Tabitha.

"He's still in there somewhere," the TARDIS child added, smiling appreciatively at Danielle. "We just need to get him out."

"_And how do you plan on going about that?"_ Tabitha's lips pressed into a thin line. In truth, she did not have the faintest idea as to how to stop this monster. The shadow noticed her distress and laughed. "_Now I wonder why he cares for you so much. A stupid, foolish, ignorant chi-" _The Doctor's words cut off when he ducked as Timothy came at him, swinging a branch. Ducking, he drew his sonic screwdriver, aimed at Timothy, and flicked it on, creating a spark that set the branch ablaze and forcing the human to drop it. "_Silly human. You can't stop me." _To prove his point, the Doctor snapped his fingers, and three shadows broke off from the rest. Edmund and Tabitha were able to dodge the attacks, but Timothy was forced to the ground, flailing at the untouchable shadows. Chuckling, the Doctor snapped his fingers again, and the shadows vanished. Timothy rushed to his feet to stand by Tabitha and Edmund, with Danielle hiding behind them and peeking over her brother's shoulder.

"What do you want with us?" Danielle demanded, her voice shaking.

In a single, fluid motion, the Doctor raised his hand to point at Tabitha. "_The time child was correct. The human male will die first, then her, then my former host_." Again, they had failed to mention Danielle. She had noticed this when Tabitha had mentioned her thoughts on what the shadow desired, and now as it confirmed her beliefs. Both times, Danielle had been left out of it. She was entirely grateful for that, but it caused her curiosity to manifest itself.

"Why not me? What reason do you have to keep me alive?"

"Butterfly..." Edmund said, an evident warning in his tone. "Don't."

"No, she's right," Tabitha added. Edmund and Timothy glared at her with unrestrained anger mingling with confusion. Ignoring them, she took a hesitant step towards the Doctor. "What has Danielle done to get you to like her so much? No, wait. Let me figure this out." Tabitha knew she was about to start rambling, and she hoped it would amuse the shadow long enough for her or the humans to think up some sort of plan. "She's human. But, then again, so are Edmund and Timothy, and you have no problem killing them. She's a woman, I'm a woman, and you're more than happy with killing me - so that can't be it." Tabitha stopped, her original assumption coming to mind once more. If there was an appropriate time to bring it up, it was then. "Could it be that living in Edmund so long, constantly battling and experiencing his own human mind and emotions, made you care for Danielle as if she were a dear friend of yours? No! Something closer - your sister. That's it, isn't it?" The Doctor did not move other than tilting his head to the side, staring intently at Tabitha. "You've been with Edmund so long that some of his humanity has corrupted you. And what stronger human emotion is there than one's love for their family?"

There was a moment of absolute silence in which no one dared to say anything. Behind her, the humans waited with bated breath, anxiously awaiting the shadow's next command that would destroy them. As for the shadow and the Doctor, they stood in front of her with smirks forming on the Doctor's face. Slowly, ever so slowly, the shadow brought up the Doctor's hands and clapped. "_Very good. You seem to have me entirely figured out. A great feat for one's last act."_ He dropped the act along with his smile. "_Hold the other two back. I don't want anything interrupting me while I kill the human who's become so... enraptured with Danielle."_

Edmund shouted when two more shadows raced towards him and Tabitha. One wound around the hand that held Danielle's arm, burning it with a frigidness that caused Edmund to wrench his arm back in pain. As soon as the Highgarden sibling were separated, the shadow covered Edmund's face completely. He stumbled around as the darkness invaded not only his sight, but all of his senses. He could not see Tabitha vainly swatting at the shadow with the still burning stick, or the shadow douse the flames before coiling around her like a snake, slowly squeezing the air from her body. He did not hear Danielle's scream of horror as the Doctor launched himself at Timothy, tackled the boy to the ground, and wrap his hands around his neck, intent on choking Timothy to death. He could not smell, taste, or hear. It was all darkness.

With Tabitha, she was wriggling against the shadow's firm hold, desperately trying to get free. But, once again, she was painfully reminded of how she could not fight something untouchable when it continued to press down on her ribs, but she felt nothing touching her. Despite that, Tabitha fell to her knees, practically seizing in her attempt to break free. Her head snapped up at a sob, and she found Danielle hunched on the ground against the wall, a hand pressed to her mouth and her watery eyes unable to look away from Timothy's rapidly purpling face. "Danielle," Tabitha croaked. It was enough to get the human girl's attention, and Danielle crawled over to Tabitha's side. She tried fanning the shadows away, to no avail. If anything, they tightened, and Tabitha could feel the strain on her ribs. "Not me. Stop him." She gestured to the Doctor, who had a maniacal grin on his face.

"How? I can't do anything." Slumping back, Danielle wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm useless."

"Not true," Tabitha said through clenched teeth with what little breath she had. "You're human. You can save us all."

"_How?_"

"Talk to it." Danielle started. She shook her head at such a ridiculous order, but Tabitha continued. "For whatever reason, that thing does not want to hurt you. I think it'll listen to you, too, if you tell it how you're really feeling" Tabitha gasped when she heard a faint '_crack._' "I know you're scared, but we need you to try. Try to save Edmund and Timothy. They _need _you to do this. You're the only one who can save us now."

Danielle looked over her shoulder at Timothy then back at Tabitha, and there was a determined gleam in the girl's eye that brought a smile to Tabitha's face. She stood, brushed the dirt from her dress, and ran at the Doctor. She pulled at his hand, shouting, "Leave him alone!" Instead, the Doctor swung his arm around and caught her across the face with one hand while the other continued crushing Timothy's windpipe, a resounding SMACK echoing throughout the maze. Danielle fell to her knees, tearing up and holding her smarting face. "Stop, please."

The Doctor froze. He recognized the voice. "_Danielle?" _

"Please, leave my friends alone," she begged, her voice quavering.

As if just realizing what he was doing, the Doctor released Timothy, and the boy inhaled deeply. The Doctor knelt by Danielle, staring in regret at her swelling cheek. He tentatively reached out towards her. Danielle flinched away, and he dropped his hand. "_Why did you interfere?"_

"You were killing him." When this did not register on the Doctor's face, Danielle sobbed. "You hurt my brother and made him do such awful things. You've ruined my and my mother's birthday party. Now, you're trying to kill my friends and my brother. You have been doing all this, chasing us through the maze and threatening my friends and killing a boy dear to me, to protect me. But you have done nothing but hurt me! I never showed you, because I always thought you would kill me if I told you how I felt."

"_Never."_

"You say you care for me so much." She turned momentarily to Tabitha, who had curled in on herself to relieve the pain. "If you truly cared about me, you would not harm those closest to my heart. Because, by hurting them, you're hurting me. If you kill them... you may as well kill me for you would have taken away everything in my life that makes it wonderful and bright: my brother who loves me so dearly, Timothy who has done nothing but watched over me and treated me like a queen, even the Doctor and Tabitha, though I've only just met them. With them has come the only hope of bringing some semblance of normalcy to my life. Would you ruin that for me? The opportunity for a full, happy life?" She stood on shaky legs. "If you would, then kill me now. Once I am dead, then you can kill them as well. At least then I won't have to watch."

"_I've harmed you_," the Doctor said slowly. Danielle nodded. He backed away from Danielle, looking around at the destruction he had caused. "_This was never my intention. I have only ever wanted to protect you. But I have failed."_ He paused._ "Do you wish for me to leave? To expose you to the evils of the world and the horrors of which you will never see again?"_ Once more, Danielle nodded. "_Why?"_

"Because, although there is great evil, there is also great good in this world. The Doctor and Tabitha are shining examples of that. If they die, the world grows darker."

There was a pause, a palpable silence in which it seemed the entire world waited with bated breath. Danielle watched in growing anxiety as the darkness mulled over her words and his actions. After long last, the shadow spoke, with astounding reluctance. "_Very well, I shall depart. So long, Danielle." _With that, the Doctor's head flew back, and his mouth opened in a silent scream. The shadow escaped his mouth, flew into the sky, and vanished from sight, the others following him. Edmund tripped as he stumbled over a root he had not seen, Tabitha flopped on the ground and gasped for air, and the Doctor collapsed to his hands and knees in front of Danielle. She did not noticed Tabitha make her way towards her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I knew you could do it," rasped Tabitha before the TARDIS child knelt by the Doctor. "Doctor?"

He lifted his head to find Tabitha's smiling down at him with scintillating green eyes. The Doctor reached up to cup her face, to feel her warm skin beneath his hand, but she hissed in pain when his thumb ran over the bruised skin of her cheek. He hastily withdrew his hand, frowning and eyes watery. Tabitha could see in those pale blue orbs that he remembered everything. Choking Timothy, slapping both Danielle and Tabitha - _everything._ She took his hand once more and just held it, attempting to nonverbally convey all the trust she had in him. However, he pulled away and went to help the others stand while Danielle gingerly pulled Tabitha to her feet. Soon, all five were standing together, staring at one another. Three of the five had the same question in their eyes: _what now?_

"Let's go back."

* * *

The Doctor and Tabitha had dropped Danielle, Timothy, and Edmund, all five of them grimy and muddy and pale, back at the manor, where everyone had seen the shadow soar into the night sky and dissipate. Lord and Lady Highgarden wasted no time in pulling their children into bone-crushing hugs, with Lady Highgarden wailing over how she had her son back. While the partygoers surrounded them and Timothy, pleading for a story, the two time travelers quietly slipped from the party and returned to the TARDIS. Tabitha had showered until her skin was pink from being rubbed raw, eagerly slipped into some pajamas, wrapped her blanket around her shoulder, and returned to the console room where the Doctor was piloting his beloved time machine to their next destination. He did not noticed her green eyes following his every move or turn to glance at her when she ran a hand through her damp, flat hair. His silence and inattention disturbed her.

Before she could comment, thought, the Doctor breathed a quick, "I'm sorry."

"About what?" Without a word, the Doctor walked up to her until she had to look up to see him. An eternity passed before his hand rested on her cheek, as delicate as a feather. His eyes were older than she had ever seen them and held such sorrow that she wanted nothing more than to hug him and never let him go. "That? That wasn't you. It was the shadow, and now it's gone. No harm, no foul."

"It was still me," he countered, voice thick with unshed tears. "I was aware of everything that happened; it wanted me to see it hurt you, and I was powerless to stop it. I could feel it feeding off of all the darkness of 900 years, using it as fuel to-... Tabitha, I'm so sorry. Because of me, you got hurt and nearly died. If Danielle's hadn't stopped me when she did, I would've killed you and couldn't have done anything about it. That would've destroyed me. I've ruined a lot of people's lives, but I don't know what I would do if I had killed you. I don't think there's any sort of torture in the world, and death is too easy an escape. No, I'd force myself to live with that suffocating guilt for the rest of my-

"Shut up." Leaning forward, Tabitha wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his stomach. He stiffened but made no move to return the embrace. "It's wasn't you, Doctor. You are too kind, too good, and to wonderful to even think about doing something like that." She tightened her arms. "I trust you. You'd never hurt me. Ever." She could tell, though, that he did not believe her. So, with a sigh, Tabitha released him, stood, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before leaving, claiming she was going to sleep. "Goodnight, Doctor." The moment she laid down on her pit bed in her room, Tabitha fell asleep.

In such a deep sleep, Tabitha did not hear the room to her door open or the Doctor's light footsteps as he padded, barefoot, into the room. He got to his knees beside her and brushed some of the hair from her face, smiling softly as how she cuddled into him immediately. Leaning down, he left a lingering kiss on her forehead, feeling the warm regeneration energy transfer from him to her through that contact. When he pulled back, he watched the energy swirl around her cheek and her ribs, healing every injury he had unintentionally inflicted on her. The Doctor ran his hand through her hair once more and then tip-toed from the room, muttering "Goodnight, Tabitha," as he closed the door behind him.


	19. Heat of the Desert 1

**-poke-**

**I don't own Doctor Who. You should all know this by now.**

**The Doctor is such a drama queen. He'll disagree, but not after reading Chapter Eighteen.**

* * *

"No! No! NO! BAD TARDIS!" From her perch on the captain's chair, dressed in jean shorts for the first time, grey trainers, and a maroon V-neck t-shirt, Tabitha shook her head and chuckled as the Doctor hopped around on one foot, rubbing the other and muttering angrily while shooting the console dirty looks. The time machine hummed alongside her daughter, sharing in Tabitha's amusement. One knee was drawn up to her chest while the other's foot drew lazy circles just above the translucent floor. "I did not give you permission to fly off course! Bad TARDIS! Baaaaaaad!" He angrily slapped the console and jumped away just in time to dodge the sparks that erupted from one of the buttons. "Don't get mad at me! This is _your _fault! Tabitha, back me up here," the Doctor asked her when he caught sight of her on the chair. His eyes lingered a second too long on her long, pale legs, following them up to her stomach then her throat, finally landing on her emerald eyes. Her clothing now was so much different than the dress she had worn in nineteenth century London. Where that ensemble left only her head and neck exposed, her current outfit allowed the Doctor full view of her arms, legs, collarbone, throat, and lovely face.

"Leave me out of this." Tabitha lifted her hands in mutual surrender to both sides. "I may be semi-human, but she's still my mother and has the power to ground me, if she wants to." Driving home her point, the TARDIS vibrated arrogantly. She _did_ have the power. "Besides, what did she do this time? Not that I'm saying it's her fault." Tabitha was in no mood to fall on her mother's bad side for the day, and so kept her comments as neutral as possible, occasionally throwing in playful insults towards the Doctor to appease the TARDIS.

"She flew off course, is what!" The Doctor made to kick the console once more, but thought better of it and sat down next to Tabitha, nearly knocking her off the chair. To keep her steady, the Doctor draped an arm around her waist, nearly smirking when a dusting of pink decorated her cheeks. "She took off perfectly fine, locked on to Melody, and then suddenly careened in a completely different direction. We've landed on a planet in a completely different solar system, light years from where they had taken Melody! And now she refuses to move! Bloody stupid time machine - _OW!" _The Doctor jerked forward, attempting to rub a spot on his back. Giggling, Tabitha rubbed his back for him, and he fell limp as her hand continued its ministrations, almost sighing but biting it back at the last second.

Glancing at the back of the chair, Tabitha noticed a metal point sticking out of the leather, which is what had stuck the Doctor. _Mum, _Tabitha thought, _leave him alone._

_Why should I? He's being horrible, and whiny, and doesn't seem to understand that he's not going to find Melody no matter how hard he tries. If he really wants to find her, Thief's going to have to find another ride because I'm not going to take him. I brought him here because he needs to be here, and I won't move until his job is done. You can tell him I said that and to stop being so dramatic. Give him a good whack on the back of his head, too, while you're at it. _Her mother's voice was smug, and Tabitha stifled a chuckle behind her hand. _What?_

_He's dressed like a nine-year-old, and yet you're the one acting like it. Can you two be any more childish? Between us three, I have to be the adult! And you're older than the Doctor and I combined._

_Watch it, Tabitha. Like you said, I'm your mother, and I have the power to ground you if I wanted to._

"So, Doctor," Tabitha began aloud, leaving her mother to chuckle in her mind with triumph at her daughter's hasty retreat, "where exactly have we landed?"

The Doctor jumped up from the seat, dramatically hobbled towards the console, and pulled the screen around. "Oh, this is a treat! We've landed on Dohzdar, the rainiest, wettest planet in the entire universe. It's a giant rainforest planet, and there are only seventy-three days of dry-ish weather every two years... and you're wearing shorts." This time the Doctor stared unashamedly at her legs as she jumped of the captain's chair and came around to take the screen from his hand and examine it herself. Her eyes skimming over the history and climate of Dohzdar, she did not notice the Doctor's face turning red the more he took in her legs or him stepping closer to her until she felt his breath on her neck, tickling the sensitive skin. "What do you think?" he questioned. The Doctor snapped out of his trance once Tabitha danced away from him, making for the doors. "Tabitha, get back here!"

"What?" She stopped with her hands on the handles, spun around, and leaned back against the door. "We're not going to pass up this opportunity, are we?"

"Of course not!" he playfully snapped at her with a wink. He would have to be mad to ignore an adventure...or severely depressed. "But it's Dohzdar - the rainiest planet in the cosmos, in case you missed that. It's going to be wet, and all muddy-wuddy, and you're wearing _shorts!_" When Tabitha lifted a confused eyebrow, the Doctor gestured to her bare legs, as if that were explanation enough. She crossed her ankles, not realizing the effect her fair legs had on the Doctor. Like a child, he covered his eyes. "Go put on some trousers!"

"Why?" Tabitha understood the Doctor's logic; it was rare when she could not follow the Time Lord's thought processes. If outside those doors the ground was slick with mud, Tabitha would not want to accidentally slip and have it stain her skin and clothes. Not only that, she did not know the season on the planet, and the rains of Dohzdar were known to be frigidly, bitterly cold in the winters. However, when Tabitha had awoken that morning, she pulled the first clothing her fingers had touched, not thinking about where she and the Doctor would land. Now, as she picked at the frayed hem of her shorts and her form fitting shirt, Tabitha felt oddly underdressed. "It felt like the right thing to wear at the time."

_Don't listen to him, Tabitha, _her mother comforted, _He's being stupid, as usual. _The TARDIS had told her this the same time the Doctor said, "Fine. At least let me get you a raincoat." Without waiting for an answer, the Doctor retreated beneath the floor and wended his way through a jungle of hanging wires, searching through the many compartments for said raincoats. Tabitha remained where she was, only changing her position to lean against the rail and watch the Doctor as he pulled out a number of items - a stereo, length of rope, handful after handful of marbles that clattered and rolled along the floor, _The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes_ (which Tabitha had read over seven times already), and so forth - before coming up with the raincoats in his grasp. "Success!" He tossed one up to Tabitha, who tied it around her waist. As he zipped his over his tweed jacket, the Doctor stated, "I don't think you understand the proper use of a raincoat."

Rolling her eyes but not answering him, Tabitha skipped up to him and zipped his jacket up to his neck, choking him with the zipper. As the Time Lord gagged, loosening the zipper, Tabitha danced away from him and slipped out of the time machine, guffawing. The Doctor started when her laughter cut off suddenly. "Tabitha? What's going on out there?"

"Doctor, you may want to come see this." Her voice was strained, and the Doctor did not hesitate in rushing out the doors, stopping short when a wave of heat slapped him across the face. But it was not the damp heat he was used to, the kind that made his floppy hair stick to his forehead and his hands sticky with perspiration. It was not the kind of heat the Doctor felt he could swim through. No, it was a dry heat, one that stole all the water from your body the moment you stepped outside. When he glanced over at Tabitha, he could see beads of sweat already forming on her head and behind her ear. "This can't be Dohzdar."

As he looked over the landscape, the Doctor could not help but agree. The Dohzdar he remembered teemed with all sorts of life living in a tropical climate. Trees with red bark towered hundreds of feet above him with the branches starting far above the ground, and the only way to reach it was to make a treacherous climb using nothing but vines to hold your weight. But there were no words to describe the view. Sitting in the topmost branches, one could touch the clouds and the birds as they soared by. When it rained, one could watch the raindrops as they formed. Plant- and animal-life alike were painted all the colors of the rainbow and then some, catching the eye as someone traipsed through the forest. Underfoot, fallen leaves muffled any footfalls, and the forest smelled the peculiar odor of rotting plants and the scent of flowers larger than life. _That _was the Dohzdar the Doctor remembered.

Now all he could see was the yellow, dusty ground, cracked and barren, stretching on for miles in all direction. Warm breezes came from the east, but they only succeeded in kicking up the dust and stirring up the scorching air. With the sun blazing down on them, Tabitha and the Doctor felt as if their skin was melting beneath the heat. Huffing and proven wrong, the Time Lord removed his raincoat, untied the one around Tabitha's waist, and tossed them both inside the TARDIS.

"I wonder what happened here," Tabitha thought aloud. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned along the ground, walking hunched over with Tabitha treading lightly beside him, careful not to raise a cloud of dust that seemed to follow wherever they went. Jumping up, and nearly hitting Tabitha in the process, the Doctor read the information the sonic picked up with a deepening frown. "Doctor?"

"This is Dohzdar, alright, plus something else. Something seems to have drained all the water from this planet. But, as far as I know, there is no creature large enough in the universe to suck an entire planet dry." He tucked his sonic back into the pocket sewn on the inside of his tweed jacket before looking at Tabitha. With a hand shading her eyes, she examined the land, searching in vain for any sort of clue that would explain this massive drought. "What do you think we should do now?" Tabitha glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. Unspeaking, she held out her hand for his to take, and the Doctor grinned, taking her proffered hand. "My thoughts exactly. Oh, wait!" Rummaging about in his pocket, the Doctor lifted the TARDIS key victoriously, aimed it at the blue police box, and pressed his finger down on the widest part of the key. Tabitha choked on a chortle when the time machine beeped like a locked car. Satisfied, the Doctor returned the key to its proper place.

"I never thought you'd do that again, after your failed attempt to get a laugh out of Ood Sigma," Tabitha commented offhandedly. The Doctor remembered that moment vividly, and he laughed harder than he had in a long time. "Well, Time Lord - _Allons-y!_" Grinning, the two time travelers began their trek through the desert.

It was not long before the TARDIS faded into a mere speck on the horizon, and it was even sooner when Tabitha could no longer see her mother when she glanced over her shoulder. The sun continued to scorch the earth, and the Time Lord and TARDIS child along with it. Eventually, the two were stumbling along, arms hanging freely by their sides. When the Doctor stumbled for the umpteenth time, Tabitha sighed, took his arm, and flung it over her shoulders to keep him upright. She could feel his body burning through his tweed jacket and long-sleeved shirt. His floppy hair had darkened with sweat and now clung to his face like a leech upon one's skin. He glanced over at her, blue eyes cloudy with heat exhaustion, and sent her a weary smile. "Thanks." He suddenly stumbled once more, nearly taking Tabitha down with him. She bit back a curse she had learned from Amy. "Sorry!"

"Doctor, we need to get out of this heat," Tabitha responded instead when she stopped. As she removed his tweed jacket and tied it around her hips, the Time Lord nodded ferociously, spattering Tabitha with beads of sweat. Not that she could feel it, drenched with her own as she was. The TARDIS child readjusted her hold on the Doctor so he, still leaning heavily against her, could put some of his weight on his feet. "Where are all the people? They couldn't have just left; the entire planet's in a drought. There's nowhere to go."

"If they went anywhere at all..." the Doctor began, his voice trailing off into silence. Tabitha looked down at him, but he was staring off into the distance. So she followed his gaze. Her eyes landed on a single, abandoned, out-of-place well. The wood was cracked, and the stone slates that offered minimal shade to being with had all but turned to dust. Practically dragging the Doctor over to the well, the two leaned over it. The bottom could not be seen, and a ladder had been pushed against the wall. "So that's what it was."

"What?"

"It's Dohzdar," he repeated, "plus some. The plus some possibly being the inhabitants of this planet. If I had to guess, I'd say they retreated underground to get out of this heat, and I wholeheartedly agree." Tabitha stepped back and planted her hips on her shoulder when the Doctor swung his leg over, almost missing the first rung entirely and falling into the well. He righted himself at the last minute, though, and began his descent until only his head was above the edge of the well. "Coming?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Then why are you asking?" Tabitha smiled as the Doctor continued down the well, his laughter echoing off the walls. Once he had disappeared, swallowed by the shadows, Tabitha followed him. When three minutes had passed and when Tabitha was marveling at how deep this well was, her hands and feet slipped, and she fell down the well. The fall was momentary, as she soon landed in someone's awaiting arms. Clutching to the pale pink shirt, Tabitha buried her burning, embarrassed face in the Doctor's shirt as he chuckled, feeling the laughter rumbling through his thin chest. "Careful," he breathed into her ear, ruffling the short strands of dark hair at her temple. His voice was deep and rasping from his parched throat.

"Shut up." Her words were muffled, but the Doctor heard them well enough. His chuckling intensified into a full out guffaw as he lowered Tabitha to her feet, but he did not remove his hands from her waist. If anything, he pulled her closer until he could wrap his arms around her and bury his head into her hair. "Uh... Doctor?" He did not answer. Smiling deviously, not that the Doctor could see her, Tabitha slid her hands down his sides until the rested on his ribs and she began tickling him.

"No...HAHAHAHA... Tabitha, stop that!"

"Make me, Time Lord!" They were caught up in their shenanigans, with Tabitha tickling the Doctor until his face was red with exertion, that neither of them noticed their laughter echoing down the corridor that they were standing in, or the figures that were rapidly making their way towards the time travelers. It was not long before the two were surrounded, spears aimed at them. Tabitha was the first to realize the danger they were in, and she pushed the Doctor behind her. As he struggled to catch his breath, the Doctor grabbed her hand and stepped up next to her. "Hello," Tabitha told the figures, who were shrouded in pale, sandy yellow robes that left only their eyes and hands uncovered.

"Who are you, strangers?" the leader of the group demanded. His words were garbled through a thick accent, but Tabitha understood easily through the TARDIS translation matrix. "And how did you come to be here? Not many can survive the temperatures above for long."

"We were just sort of passing through," Tabitha replied. "Our transport had a bit of a fit and landed us here."

"Then I suggest you get back to your transport, fix it, and get as far away from this godforsaken place as possible." The leader raised the tip of the spear away from Tabitha and the Doctor, signaling for the others to do the same. "This is not sort of place for a young woman, even if she does have her husband to protect her." Tabitha started at that, and she and the Doctor turned matching shades of vibrant pink, which did not go unnoticed. "Ah, so you are unmarried. Apologies." He inclined his head respectfully. Confused at the sudden display of manners from a man holding them at spear point, Tabitha and the Doctor glanced at one another with quirked eyebrows.

"What happened here?" the Doctor cut in, wanting his voice to be heard. He pointed up the well opening, drawing everyone's gazes to the sand clouds that rolled and thundered overhead. Some fell into the hole and dusted their heads. Tabitha ruffled the dust from her and the Doctor's hair, but some stuck to the sweat on their faces and turned to mud on their skin. "The last time I was here, Dohzdar was green and beautiful with trees that soared over a hundred feet in the air. Now, it's a giant dust bowl out there! So what happened?"

"You were here when Dohzdar was a forest planet? That's impossible as our people have not seen any greenery in the last decade or so, and you can't be older than twenty."

"Add about nine hundred years and then you'll get close," the Doctor replied, to the strangers' astonishment. Grinning like the fool he was, the Doctor slapped his cheeks. "And I still look pretty good for my age, don't I? I'll tell you how I do it later. But only after you tell me what turned Dohzdar into a desert."

The strangers shifted uneasily. Standing before them was an apparently timeless man, a still mystery of a woman, and both were far to interested in Dohzdar than what could be attributed to natural curiosity. Searching and finding assurance in the eyes of his companions, the leaders stepped forward and removed his hood, revealing a bald, black head beneath a pale hood. His eyes were nearly black, and his skin was stretched taut over his high cheekbones. Ridges and bumps covered his skin, protruding from his bones, creating patterns all over his body that Tabitha found interesting, especially the hills that ran down the center of his skull, one right after another. "Follow me," was all he said before turning abruptly on his heel and striding down the hall, the others following after him. Two remained behind the two time travelers, gently urging them on with their proximity. After grabbing Tabitha's hand - it came so naturally to him, now - the Doctor and Tabitha strolled after the robed men down the pathway.

"If what you say is true, that you are much older than you appear, than perhaps you _can _help us," the man up front said, his voice bouncing off the low ceiling and suffocating walls of the corridor. "Because of the desert wasteland above, we have retreated beneath the ground in hopes of finding water and succeeded. However, our supply is depleting rapidly. Our planet is dying, and our people will soon follow." Tabitha frowned at that. Despite having seen many deaths through her mother's and the Doctor's eyes, whether from natural causes or a fatal wound, knowing how easily humans and some aliens could die tugged at her heartstrings.

_Which means you are going to have to be extra careful, _a voice cut into her thoughts. It was her mother. _You're part human, part Time Lord, and part TARDIS, but that doesn't mean you can't die. We don't even know if you can regenerate. If you get so much as a hangnail, I'll kill the Doctor for not looking after you._

The TARDIS child chuckled. _He'll take care of me, Mum. Don't doubt the Doctor, and be nicer to him!_

Tabitha, awaiting her mother's response (_When he stops hitting me, I will)_, nearly missed the man's next words. "There are over four hundred currently living down here in this particular area. Other colonies throughout the planet have either taken after us and searched for safety in the earth or have perished above ground." He led them down a darker, damper corridor that gently sloped downward. It was cooler in the tunnel. But, when Tabitha ran her hand along the wall, it came away red with dust. Despite the cool air, it was just as dry as above.

"When exactly did this drought start?" the Doctor asked.

"When I was just a boy," the leader responded. "The well you entered was a mile or so from my colony and was a reliable source for clean, cool, drinking water. One morning, my father sent me to fetch some water, and there was none. The well had gone dry overnight. Everyday since then, the world's grown hotter and drier. I fear that soon it will be nothing more than a carcass, the withered husk of a once prosperous planet." His voice was sorrowful, burdened with many years of regret. Tabitha recognized it easily.

"Did anything happen before that? Tabitha questioned, jogging up to stand by the man and see his face. Being a woman, the others allowed her to move without complaint. When the Doctor moved to stand by her side, he received a number of stony glares. He absentmindedly searched for Tabitha's hand.

"Nothing I know of."

"What about your father? If he's still alive, may we speak to him?"

"Why would strangers care?" The leader turned on her, causing Tabitha to halt in her tracks. The Doctor, glancing over his shoulder, noticed the others' hands tightening on their spears. "You have no reason to."

"Why wouldn't we care?" Tabitha countered innocently. "We know what it's like to lose a home, and he understands more than I do. Our planet is lost to fire and ash." She paused and bit her lip, remembering all of her 'aunts,' all of the Time Lords and TARDISes that were destroyed or corrupted in the Time War. Taking a deep breath, Tabitha continued with a shaking voice. "Everyone we knew and loved are dead. We wouldn't wish that on anyone else. So that's why we care. We lost our home, but we're going save yours."

The Doctor smiled brightly at her. He had already seen and known the extent of Tabitha's heart(s), how much she could care and protect for others. Much like himself, she was the last, not to mention the first, of her kind. Despite this, she walked through life with a smile on her face and in her heart(s). If there was one thing the Doctor appreciated most about her, it was her smile. It could brighten even the darkest days. It could pull him out of his darkness and make him see the light in bleakest of situations. To think, she had only been human for a little over a month, slowly nearing two. It was astonishing how easily she had wormed her way into his hearts.

"Much obliged, Miss," the man said, disheartened. "But what difference can two people make?"

"You'd be surprised."

The man smiled. "What are your names, Miss?" It did not go passed the Doctor that the man had deliberately asked Tabitha and not him. Evidently, they held women to a higher esteem than men. It was very different from the last time the Doctor visited Dohzdar, where the men were the providers and caretakers, and the women were mothers and nurturers.

"I'm Tabitha, and that's the Doctor. And you are?"

"Bhoya of the colony of Tar. Personal advisor to Lady Naseena, leader of the colony."

"Nice to meet you, Bhoya."

"Wait? 'The colony of Tar?'" the Doctor cut in, leaning around Tabitha to look at Bhoya. "I remember that colony. Great people, though a bit serious at times. Couldn't really take a joke. I taught them how to play football, though." Suddenly, he gasped and pointed at Bhoya. His face became over-excited, like a child in a candy store. If the ceiling of the tunnel were taller, not nearly brushing the tops of their heads, the Doctor would have jumped up and down. "I recognize you! 'Little Boy Bhoya,' they used to call you. Your father was a great man, and your mother was quite the looker." Rambling, he turned to Tabitha. "She asked me if I wanted to share her with her husband; that's a common thing on Dohzdar. I respectfully declined, of course. By the looks of things, that was for the better. I mean, look at you!" He gestured to Bhoya with both hands. "Personal advisor to the colony leader - fantastic. Your father wasn't even the lead hunter-gatherer the last time I was here. Dohzdar is based on a inflexible social hierarchy; how did _you_ become the colony leader's highest ranking officer? No offense."

"None taken." Bhoya inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the tale he was about to tell. "After the drought began, we turned to alternative and less reliable sources of water. Our colony leader was the first to die from sickness, followed soon by most of his family. Surprisingly, the only one who remained living was his youngest daughter, no more than six. She called the elders of the colony and anyone of prestige, including myself, to the leader's home to figure out a plan. I suggested living underground, as there were stories of great stores of fresh water. We argued over this for weeks, with the leader's daughter not saying a word for or against either side. In the end, the colony was split in half, some remaining above ground and some going below. The girl joined my group. We thrived underground and never again heard a word from those who remained.

"Well, the late leader's daughter named herself colony leader not long after by asked me to be her personal advisor and second-in-command. When I asked her why, she said it was because I held to my plan, even though I was outnumbered. That was why she followed me beneath the ground. I had the makings of a good leader, according to her. If she died, she told me, she would want me to take her place. How could I decline after such words of kindness?"

"She sounds like an intelligent girl," the Doctor commented, indirectly paying Bhoya a compliment. "Will we get to meet her?"

"When we reach the colony, which just so happens to be behind this rock, you will meet all those smart enough to listen." They group had come a stop before a massive, round boulder. Bhoya snapped his fingers, and his men rushed forward to roll the boulder off of the path that would lead them to the rest of the colony. With a groan, the stone slowly moved away from the wall, revealing a hole. Tabitha and the Doctor leaned forward and collectively gasped at the sight of the colony, more like a city, that was sprawled along the ground and stretched as far as their eyes could see. The homes were made from the red clay of the earth, with stones of all shapes and sizes lining the streets. They were lit with torches lining the pathways and bonfires started by the children of the colony. On the far right, a bright blue lake was as still as the surface of a mirror. The hum of conversation mingled in with the joyful screams of children reached the two time travelers. While the Doctor grinned madly, his eyes shifting rapidly from one this to another, Tabitha frowned, her emerald eyes locked onto the lake. From her perch, she could see that it was much smaller than it had been.

Bhoya noticed this. "You see, Miss Tabitha, that our water supply is depleting. Soon, it shall be dry, and then my people will perish."

"But Dohzdar's core isn't like Earth's," the Doctor commented. "It's not a burning, lava-y, molten core. In fact, it's a sort of renewable, freshwater oasis that you could probably reach from here if the extreme temperatures didn't fry you in an instant. Actually, it's the water vapors made by the heat that gave Dohzdar it's jungle-like appearance. The steam rises up into the layers of the earth, watering the ground from underneath and above with the rain. The only way it could stop is if it froze, the temperature dropped, the water evaporated, or something was redirecting the steam."

"That explains the core. But what about the rain?" Tabitha countered.

The Doctor nodded, completely ignoring the other men behind them. Said robed men were watching the verbal interaction, heads snapping from one time traveler to the other as they spoke. "Quite right. Dohzdar is not a very technologically advanced planet, and the kind of tech it would take to change the weather is millennia beyond them. So why did the rain stop? Or a better, second question that will answer the first if we figure it out - how?"

"I don't know. How?"

"Haven't the foggiest. But take a guess because you might be right. You're more brilliant than you think, Tabitha." She flushed at that, but a soft smile made its way onto her face.

Tabitha bit her lip in thought, something the Doctor found oddly endearing, as the pink faded from her cheeks. "An infestation of some sort?" The Doctor nodded encouragingly, and it urged her to continue. "Maybe even an invasion. It couldn't have been big; everyone would have noticed. It had to have been something small and possible numerous. Maybe something... already on the planet, or someone brought it here. But, if that were the case, why would they do that? Why would someone destroy their own planet?"

"That's assuming someone from Dohzdar did this in the first place." The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver with a flourish. "Want to find out?" Seeing the sparkle of excitement in her emerald eyes, the Doctor knew the answer before she even said anything. _Do you even have to ask? Yes. Oh, yes. When do we start?_

"You two can discover what happened to our planet. You can reverse it." It was not a question. More of a statement of disbelief, a test of their confidence. His words burst the bubble that had formed around the time travelers, and they started. Tabitha and the Doctor turned towards Bhoya, who was staring down at them with an impassive face but desperation in his eyes, and nodded simultaneously. Though he made no visible movements or gestures, the time travelers noticed the relief begin to chase away the bleak hopelessness in his dark eyes. "I don't know why you are, and I may never. But I trust you know what you're doing. Doctor, Miss Tabitha, you two are the only chance we have."

"Well then," the Doctor replied, struggling and failing to stifle a smile, "we'd better get started."


	20. Heat of the Desert 2

**I don't own Doctor Who. Never have, and I doubt I ever will.**

**You're not fully clean until you're Zestfully clean (don't own Zest either). You can mull over that as you read Chapter Nineteen :)**

* * *

The Doctor chuckled from the doorway, watching the children of the colony dance around Tabitha and pick fun at her "strange clothes and funny voice (none of them had heard a British accent before)." However, despite Tabitha being a stranger to them, they had happily latched onto her arms and legs, one even clinging to her back, and dragged her around, proudly displaying everything they found peculiar and beautiful in this subterranean village. This included the hidden holes and cracks in the walls that only children knew, the roofs of the clay homes, the field of stalagmites they loved to race through, and, most importantly, the glittering blue lake that reflected without fault the dark red ceiling above. Rather than laughing and roughhousing in the water, as Tabitha had expected, they were reverentially silent on the lake's shore. They had stood for five minutes and then returned to their merrymaking, pulling at the TARDIS child with unrestrained excitement. When she glanced back at him with pleading eyes, he had just laughed. They now sat in Naseena's hut on plush pillows, the Doctor laughing at Tabitha as she brushed the dirt from her hair.

"That's wasn't funny, you know," Tabitha berated playfully. The Doctor doubted she could ever intentionally snap at someone. She was inspecting the dark, spreading, black and blue marks on her arms. "Some of those children had strong grips, and a few of them left bruises. The little girl around my neck nearly choked me, too." Laughing, the Doctor took the arm closest to him and gazed his lips over the bruise on skin just beneath her wrist in a feather-light kiss. He could not help but smile at the red that colored her face when he pulled away from her. However, the Doctor did not move entirely, his hand going to readily lace with hers. "You were a father once." It was not a question.

The sudden topic change brought a lump to the Doctor's throat. He forced it down before answering. "Yes. A lifetime ago."

"I never got to meet your son or your wife," mused the TARDIS child. He glanced sideways at her to find the corners of Tabitha's lips softly curled upwards. She tightened her grip on his hand, transferring her sympathy and support to him. "You were probably a spectacular father, as loving and protective as you are." Though the feeling of sadness lifted somewhat by her words, it evaporated entirely when she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to bring it up."

"It's fine." His head tilted to the side until he could feel Tabitha's soft spikes pressed against his cheek.

"And my father told me you two were not married," a thickly accented voice commented from beyond the doorway of the room in which they sat. The Doctor and Tabitha sprang apart, faces equally red. The two glanced up when a female sauntered into the room. She was dressed in the pale brown robes that Bhoya and his men had worn when they had found Tabitha and the Doctor. However, her hood was pulled down, revealing a dark-skinned but smooth and flawless visage. Rather than brown, her eyes were hazel, and they glimmered at the time travelers in amusement. She sat before them on a large, plush, indigo pillow, much like they were, and crossed her legs. Her full lips were pulled up into a playful smirk. "Was he wrong?"

"No," the Doctor answered plainly. "Hello, I'm the Doctor, and this is Tabitha."

"And I am Naseena," the woman replied. "The colony leader's sole surviving daughter, and Bhoya's adopted daughter." The Doctor nodded; apparently, Bhoya had been talking about him and Tabitha before they had met Naseena. Suddenly, he remembered that he had not corrected the man when Bhoya assumed that he and Tabitha were married, just blushed. _No wonder Naseena believes it now. I didn't do anything to deny it! Stupid Time Lord. Stupid, stupid, stu-_

Just then, another consciousness painfully broke past his mental barriers, as if they had never been there in the first place, and he could feel the glowing warmth of another presence in his mind. The presence was warm and familiar, and evidently female by the voice that spoke to his mind directly. Due to the suddenness of the mental connection, the voice was weak and strained, fading the more it spoke. _Stop, please. You're giving me a headache. _The Doctor started at the sound of Tabitha's weakening voice in his mind, but there it was, clear as a cloudy day. When he chanced a glance at her, though it made his head throb, she was speaking with Naseena, asking the questions he should have been asking. But her mind was still focused on his. _I can't keep the connection for much longer._

_How are you doing this? We haven't even formed a mental connection! This should be impossible._

_Part Time Lord and TARDIS, remember? It's not impossible, just highly unlikely with the human third of my brain. Besides, don't you think we need a mental connection? We can start one now. _Out of the corners of his eyes, the Doctor noticed Tabitha gently massage her temples with a faint scowl on her face, and yet she continued to keep her attention from straying. _This is starting to hurt. I need to break the bond.__ Sorry, Doctor_

_It's fine. _With that said, Tabitha retreated from his mind, but not completely. While most of his mind was cold with the isolation, the same he felt when Gallifrey had been Time Locked, a small portion knew that Tabitha's mind was settling in a far corner, like a dog circling around its bed before flopping into it and falling asleep. It was a comforting feeling, one the Doctor had not felt in a long time. He did not notice that his thumb began tracing delicate circles over the back of her hand, Tabitha did not seem to mind, and Naseena smiled knowingly at the sight. _The man is in love with the woman, and neither of them seem to realize it yet, _Naseena thought.

Aloud, Naseena said, "Doctor? Doctor who?" The two time travelers grinned as if they had been told a rather funny joke that Naseena did not understand. "What?" They shook their heads, waving off her question. Naseena lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing about it. "Anyways, Bhoya says that you can save our people?"

"We can try," the Doctor countered, "but first we need to figure out what's going on at the center of the planet. If you give us your permission, we can get on that _tout de suite._" He grinned brightly at Naseena and fiddled with his sonic screwdriver in his pocket. The Doctor waited none too patiently for her answer. His legs and hands shook with anticipation, his fingers drummed annoyingly on his knee, and Tabitha could practically see the pent up energy dying to burst forth and rush into action. With another adventure served to him on a silver, dusty platter, the Doctor could hardly keep still. Though over 900 years old, the Doctor possessed as much patience with delayed gratification as a child awaiting the treat dangled before him. In other words, none.

Unfortunately (depending on one's point of view), Naseena's next word caused him to fall into a stunned stillness. "No."

"What?"

"I said no."

"What?"

"She said 'no,' Doctor," Tabitha clarified. She knew that the Time Lord had heard Naseena just fine. But she also knew that hearing Naseena's voice again would make him even more disbelieving. So, with that in mind, Tabitha turned his face towards hers with those few words. "As in, negative. Opposite to positive, or yes."

"I know what 'no' means, Tabitha," he refuted before turning back to Naseena. "What I want to know is why."

"Do you not think I have sent people down there to investigate already?" Naseena prodded, her voice turning serious and her eyes narrowing at the thin, floppy haired man and his companion beside him. "Far too many, in fact, and not a single one of them has returned. They were my best and brightest fighters. If they cannot defeat whatever menace is plaguing this planet, then how can a single man and woman stop it? You have no weapons, no plan of attack, or any idea of what you are going to find there. You'd both be killed or go missing instantly." Suddenly, she hunched over, as if the weight of the world were on her shoulder. "I cannot ask two strangers to court Death for the sake of my village or my planet. I _will _not."

"Naseena," Tabitha cut in softly when she noticed the Doctor was about to refute her point. "I understand what you are telling us. However, you need to let the Doctor help. We may not be an army or specially trained warriors, but we have something your men didn't have." At Naseena's lifted eyebrow, Tabitha pointed to the Time Lord on her right. "Him." He wiggled his fingers in a playful greeting.

"Hello."

"Why should he make a difference?" Naseena pressed unkindly, her frustration and stress coming out in a single moment. "How can this single man, whose thinness rivals that of only the most destitute and hungry of children, possibly restore Dohzdar to what it once was? What is he armed with?" She started when the Doctor rapidly unsheathed his sonic and waved it at her. "A silver stick? Earlier, when Miss Tabitha was speaking, I was beginning to doubt my lack of faith in you. Now, I know I was right to deny you." Naseena stood to her feet, authority oozing from every pore. But the Doctor sat up straighter and stared straight into Naseena's hazel orbs. "You two are free to roam the village, find lodging for the evening, do as you wish. But if you go beyond the border, than you are no friends of ours; and your return, should you return, will be seen as an act of warfare. Is that understood?" Stiffly, Tabitha nodded as the Doctor ground his teeth. "I mean no disrespect, but the safety of my people comes first. Good day, Doctor and Miss Tabitha." With that said, Naseena swept from the room with a rigid back, drawing her hood back over her head as she went.

"Can you believe this?" the Doctor asked incredulously when they had left Naseena's hut. The two strolled through the streets with children trailing after them, giggling and pointing at the two strangers and mimicking their joined hands. Neither the Doctor or Tabitha noticed this, he being busy ranting and she listening intently. "Her planet and her colony are _dying_, and she's going to deny our help? What kind of leader is she?"

"One whose main priority is the welfare of those she governs," Tabitha remarked softly, remembering something she had heard from long ago and at the same time quelling the anger the Doctor felt at the moment. After 900 years, she knew the only way to argue with him, a win, was to tread carefully and delicately. "I understand why she refuses to let us go, but that's irrelevant. If she really wants to help her people, Nassena would allow us access to the planet's core, see what's going on down there."

"My thoughts exactly!" He rubbed his prominent chin. "Whatever's down there must be scarier than we thought."

"Or she could be over exaggerating the danger." The Doctor gestured for her to continue. "I mean, Naseena told us that none of the men she sent have returned. If that's the case, how could she possibly know what's down there? There are two possible answers for that: 1) she doesn't know what she's up against and is guessing, or 2) she's seen it herself and knows how dangerous it is. If it's the latter, then why send men down to fight with whatever's there? If it's the former..." Tabitha allowed her voice to fade into silence as her mind conjured up images of frightening beasts with sharp, gnashing teeth and bloodshot eyes.

The Doctor noticed her mind travel elsewhere before her hand tightened around his. Chuckling, he gently loosened her iron-like grip, startling her back into the present. "Nothing is going to hurt you, Tabitha. They'd have to get by me first."

"Do you think I'm worried about me?" The Doctor nodded. "Of course I'm not! I'm worried about these people. They're living so close to the planet's core and to whatever's stopping the water from reaching the surface of this world. Naseena may be looking out for her people (and I commend her for that), but she sometimes forgets just how near they are to the danger." Tabitha continued on her short rant while the Doctor just stared down at her, a soft smile on his face. His attention was entirely on her face and on the words that came out of her mouth. Every facial expression was committed to memory. Not for the first time, the Doctor wanted to gently run his fingertips down her cheek, feel the soft and smooth skin beneath his hand, but he refrained.

_She really is remarkable, _he thought. The Doctor had met many people in his numerous years of time travel, but none with as much passion and caring for others than Tabitha. _Well, there was this one brilliant Time Lady and TARDIS farmer with hearts of gold, but that's another story._ But Tabitha was someone else entirely. Part human that allowed her to be naïve and have so much potential, part Time Lord that kept her grounded with the horrors people are capable of, and part TARDIS that continually astounded her with what will be, what would be, what has been, and what should be. She was a mixture of beings that should not be possible, yet here she was, standing by his side and... _staring_ directly at him with a faint flush and a soft smile on her face that matched his. _Whoops._

"You're staring at me."

"Yes, I am."

"Any particular reason why?"

"None whatsoever."

"Alright, then." Still walking to who knows where, the two time travelers shared a grin and a laugh, which immediately faded into silence when a giggle was hear from behind them. They spun around, blue and green orbs searching the seemingly empty street stretching on behind them. Tabitha felt his hand tighten on hers, prepared to run, while his other hand removed his sonic screwdriver from the breast pocket of his pale pink shirt; his tweed jacket was still tied around her waist. Keeping it between them and whatever had giggled, the Doctor shouted, "Whoever's following us, reveal yourself! I'm armed!"

_With a screwdriver, _Tabitha added in both of their minds.

A second passed before a tanned head poked out from behind one of the huts, face more sharply defined and more angular than that of an Earth child. A pair of dark brown eyes set into a round, boyish face peered at them, intrigue and amusement in those dark orbs. A dusty, red hood was raised over the child's head, and his feet were bare. When he fully emerged into the open, despite being caught in the act, the boy stared into Tabitha's and the Doctor's eyes defiantly. He threw back his hood, revealing raven black curls that framed his charming face. "My name's Maig," he told them in a steady voice. Slowly, Maig made his ways towards the time travelers, small clouds of dust raising behind him with each step of his bare foot. "And you're the strangers I've been hearing about. Miss Tabitha and the Doctor, yes?"

"Yes," Tabitha answered, kneeling down in front of the boy. He stumbled back but never removed her gaze from the emerald-eyed woman smiling so kindly at him. "It's nice to meet you Maig. Why are you following us?"

Maig's cheeks colored with embarrassment, yet he still did not look away, something the Doctor mentally applauded. "I wanted to know who you two were." His voice took on a desperately hopeful tone, the same the two time travelers had heard in Bhoya's voice when they had looked upon the colony for the first time. "It's said you can help us. I never knew the surface, but my father and grandfather did. They want to smile at the sun again and see the sky and feel the rain on their skin, whatever those things are. I've never seen the sky, but it's supposed to be the bluest blue. Every morning and evening it turns the most remarkable colors." Maig smiled, his eyes and mind a thousand miles away.

"They're right," Tabitha replied. "You've never seen the sky, Maig?"

"How can I? The surface is too dangerous for any being to live on it. But I...I..um..." His cheeks colored. "Well, I eavesdropped on your conversation with Lady Naseena. I believe she's wrong, by the way. If I was colony leader, I'd send you down there with whatever you asked for." Maig's face paled when he realized what he had just blurted out. "Don't tell Lady Naseena I said that. She may take it for treason."

"Of course."

Maig's smile brightened the weary face that seemed wrong on such a young visage. "Thank you, Miss Tabitha."

"Where's your family, Maig?" the Doctor questioned, leaning over Tabitha's shoulder. "I'm sure they'd be worried about you right about now, being so long from home."

"Where would I go?" Maig retorted with a grin. He was beginning to enjoy the two strangers; they were much more interesting than the other kids in the Tar colony. "In case you haven't noticed, Doctor, we're underground with obvious parameters set around our colony. My father, who is a part of Naseena's personal guard, would not allow me to go anywhere outside the boundaries without consequence. My mother is too busy taking care of my new little sister to notice when I come and go." When Maig mentioned his sister, his face lit up. "But what about you, Doctor and Miss Tabitha. Where is your family? You are both a long way from home."

Both Tabitha and the Doctor fell into a solemn silence, which did not go unnoticed by Maig. The boy was astoundingly perceptive, and so he changed the subject. "How do you two plan on getting to the planet's core anyway? Don't give me those surprised looks; I know you aren't just going to give up. Lady Naseena might've had the few remaining soldiers set up around the perimeter, maybe even made the command the moment you left." Maig watched at the Doctor opened, and then closed, and then opened his mouth again to respond, but no words came out. "I can help with that."

"How?"

Smirking, the boy said, "Follow me," before setting off, silent and swift and surefooted. Tabitha and the Doctor followed with excited gleams in their eyes, their hands connected once more.

Maig led them near the border, where he said his house was. Shouting for his mother, Maig opened the front door and sauntered in with the time travelers behind him, their gazes taking in their surroundings with surprising ease. The first and final place their eyes landed on was a small, wooden table surrounded by four chairs. In one of the chairs sat a woman nursing a child. Her raven black hair was pulled back into a plait, and her dark eyes glimmered with the joy of meeting new people. Tabitha grinned at the woman while the Doctor flushed and covered his eyes, embarrassed to see a woman in such an exposed state. Maig's mother greeted them softly, introduced herself and her newborn daughter, and then returned to taking care of said daughter as Maig led them to his room farther back into the house. "I told you she was too preoccupied with my sister. She didn't even ask who you were."

"She's a lovely woman," Tabitha responded. Despite having left Maig's mother behind them, his hand was still covering his eyes, forcing Tabitha to guide him with a gentle hand on his shoulder and the occasional spoken command. The house was not too complex or possessed much furniture. It was easy to pull the Doctor around. "I hope we get to meet her again before we leave."

"Leave?" Maig asked. "You're not staying."

"We couldn't even if we wanted."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't belong here, or anywhere, for that matter." Her mind immediately shifted to Gallifrey, with its burnt orange skies and silver trees and rolling hills of red grass that dipped and waved like the ocean. She was reminded of the twin suns that rose and set, two golden spheres setting the planet ablaze. Then followed the war: the crystal dome around the Citadel cracked and nearly shattered, the fields turned red with blood, hunks of Dalekanium strewn across the plains and embedded in the damp ground or in the bodies of dying Time Lords. The last image was of Gallifrey shrinking in the distance, time locked. "In a way, we belong everywhere and nowhere at once."

_I'm sorry, _the Doctor, having seen everything that went through her mind, told her through their budding mental connection. It was painful, but Tabitha kept the grimace at bay. _I'm so, so sorry._

_It wasn't your fault. _Tabitha cut the connection before he could argue that, yes, it was his fault. It did not matter how often he blamed himself or how much he wanted her to blame him, because she never would. In her eyes, what he had done had been a necessary evil. If anything, she was proud of the Doctor and the strength he possessed. It must not have been easy placing your entire burning, blood-drenched planet in a time lock. She certainly would not have been able to. Especially, not if he was still on the planet.

"How's that?" the boy pressed, unaware of their inner turmoil. Inquisitive and perceptive - the time travelers were beginning to like Maig.

"Our home's gone. Now, we just travel, always moving."

Maig fell silent, sensing the discomfort and deeply rooted sadness from the two strangers trailing after him. Once again, the boy took it upon himself to turn their minds towards happier thoughts. "How did you two meet, then? Kindred spirits and the like?" Just as he had anticipated, the two shared a glance that spoke volumes, but it was so much more than Maig could ever read. "Old friends?"

"In a sense," they answered, leaving the boy perplexed.

However, their vague responses left Maig unsatisfied. Grabbing onto Tabitha's free hand like he used to do when he was younger, Maig tugged. "And...?"

"Are we almost there, Maig?" the Doctor cut in before Tabitha could respond, frustrating the boy. With the Time Lord's eyes still closed, the Doctor did not see Maig poke his pink tongue out at him. Tabitha stifled her giggle behind a hand clapped over her mouth. "Maig? Tabitha?" Too late both had realized that they had stopped, and the Doctor continued walking blind and without assistance. Tabitha flinched when he tripped over his feet and fell headfirst into the door at the end of the hall. "Ouch." He rubbed his nose. "Did I deserve that?"

_Probably, _the TARDIS answered in her daughter's mind, drawing another delicate snort of laughter from the TARDIS child.

"Just beyond that door," Maig began, trying not to laugh at the Doctor rubbing his smarting nose, "is the secret path that's going to lead us beyond the border." Maig pushed the door open, ushered the two out of the house, and then closed the door before leading them to an even smaller hut formed haphazardly out of stones and pieces of stone. A playhouse. Maig led them into the smaller, replica home. Tabitha nearly shouted when she stumbled into the hole in the center of the only room. "This is a tunnel that some friends and I dug a few months ago. It leads to a place passed the border, far enough so no soldiers will see us if Lady Naseena has placed any."

"Us?" the Doctor remarked. After the incident with the door he kept his eyes open. "You're not coming with us, Maig. Far too dangerous."

"You're going, though."

The Doctor was flabbergasted. "Of course I'm going! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought Miss Tabitha was the one who wanted to investigate and was the leader of your duo." The boy suddenly smirked. "Besides, you don't look much older than I am." The Doctor was flabbergasted, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Finally, without me, you'd both get lost down there. I know my way around those cave. You two don't." Knowing he had won the short argument, Maig crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the Doctor to make a response.

However, it was Tabitha that spoke to the Doctor. Laying a hand on his upper arm, she said gently, "He's right, Doctor. We could use someone who knows the tunnels." _And he seems very intelligent for someone so young, _she told him mentally. _Sounds like someone else I know. _Tabitha patted his arm before pulling away, but he instinctively caught her hand. When Tabitha raised an eyebrow, the Doctor nodded, consenting.

Maig, momentarily forgotten, watched their interaction intently. With a single touch and a soft word, Tabitha had completely changed the Doctor's mind. Maig had seen that only a handful of times. His mother used the same trick on his father when he was being illogical. Maig had witnessed some of the older girls perform it as well on some of the boys of the same age. He did not understand what about girls made boys so... complacent. When Maig had asked his father about it, the man had merely laughed and said, "You'll understand when you're older." Now, Maig was nearing ten and three and still did not understand. He supposed he would ask the Doctor while they were walking through the tunnels, but Miss Tabitha would have to have her attention otherwise occupied.

"As much as I don't like it," the Doctor started, pulling Maig from his musings, "you're coming with us, Maig."

The boy grinned. "I thought as much. Now, if you'd both follow me." Maig slipped into the hole and scuttled back as first Tabitha then the Doctor entered the tunnel behind him, which continued on before them into darkness. Hanging from a sconce beside Tabitha's head was a torch, which Maig took immediately. "Let's be off, then."

"Geronimo," the Doctor murmured to Tabitha before scurrying, hand in hand, after Maig.

* * *

In her hut, Naseena stared out the window, not seeing the red landscape beyond. Her focus was on the two strangers and possible saviors that had appeared like a flame in the darkest of nights: the Doctor and Tabitha. She had never met two people so strange. Who in their right mind would willingly sprint into danger, knowing they face the possibility of never returning? But this is exactly what the strangers had offered. They would have risked their lives to save her entire colony, even if Tar was in no immediate danger. Not for the first time in the hours following her conversation with Tabitha and the Doctor, Naseena wondered if she had made a mistake in denying them. Her mind argued with itself for what seemed like hours until common sense emerged as the victor.

"Damn those two," Naseena growled as she hauled herself from her chair, threw her cloak around her shoulders, clasped it at the base of her neck, and tossed the hood over her head. She strode with lightning in her steps from her hut. Those she passed by in the streets steered clear of their evidently angered colony leader. No doubt they had defied her orders and discovered a way out of the colony. She would be surprised and a tad disappointed if they had not. There was nothing left now but to follow them.

"Lady Naeseena?" one of the guards she had stationed around the perimeter asked when they saw her stalking towards the border. They shifted uneasily as she approached. Her orders had been to let no one out of the colony. Whether or not that excluded her they did not know. "Ma'am?"

"Do not worry if I am not back by evenfall," she snapped, crossing the stone circle that encompassed the entirety of the colony. "My command still stands even in my absence: no one is to cross the border in or our of the colony unless I say otherwise. Am I understood?" Without waiting for their answer, Naseena continued on her trek from the colony and into the caves, determined to find Tabitha and the Doctor and assist them in any way possible.


	21. Heat of the Desert 3

**As you may (or may not) know, dear readers, I do not currently possess Doctor Who or any characters, locations, devices, and so forth therein. Will I ever own Doctor Who? I highly doubt it.**

**Where was I? Let me see... Oh! That's right. We're onto Chapter Twenty**

* * *

The Doctor walked with his arms crossed firmly over his chest, his back slightly hunched, and with tromping steps through the cave. His blue eyes never wavered from Maig, who had latched onto Tabitha's hand like a leech. The boy was staring up at Tabitha as if she were the most interesting being in the world. _Which she is, _the Doctor mentally added. He would never admit that he was sulking in jealousy, but the sight of Maig monopolizing all of Tabitha's attention did send a trickling if hurt through him. Much like the child he pretended to be, the Doctor imagined himself running up, ripping their hands apart, and shouting 'Mine!' at Maig as he took Tabitha's hand in his own. But he was 900 plus years old, which means the Doctor had _some _sense of decorum.

Until, that is, Maig stumbled and skinned his knee. Though Maig had seemed much more mature than any boy his age had the right to be, he was still a child. Tears welled up in his eyes, and Maig's bottom lip quivered as he fought back his sobs and sniffles. Smiling gently at the boy, Tabitha took the torch from his hand and passed it to the Doctor before gathering the fallen boy into her arms. Maig wrapped his arms around Tabitha and rested his face in the crook of her neck, warm breath breaking over the fair skin. Her hand rubbed circles into his back, taking the boy's mind off the pain. The corners of his lips pulled up into a lazy smile, nearly falling asleep with Tabitha's soothing touch and the gentle rocking motion with each step she took. But Maig kept his eyes open to watch the Doctor and to guide them through the maze of tunnels. _Definitely, still a child... and Tabitha's great with him. I wonder what she'd be like with a child of her own..._ The Doctor shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts.

"Why did you say that you don't belong anywhere?" Maig asked softly, hesitant to bring up the delicate subject. His voice echoed off the cool yet dry walls and raced down the tunnels, growing fainter and fainter until the echo could not be heard altogether. When the Doctor or Tabitha did not answer immediately, Maig frowned, wondering if he had crossed a line he did not even know was there. Burying his face into Tabitha's shoulder, he continued with, "Nevemin-"

"The planet's name was Gallifrey," Tabitha began, her voice surprisingly steady. She did not noticed the Doctor's eyes staring intently at the back of her head as he tried to push his way into her mind to hear was she was thinking, see what she was seeing, and feel what she was feeling. But an intricately carved door, taller than he was and without a handle, barred his way. Mentally he ran his hands over the wood, almost gasping at the warmth he felt beneath his palms. When he pressed his ear against he door, the Doctor heard her say, "It was located in the constellation of Kasterborous and was known at the Shining World of the Seven Systems." Both males could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke and remembered everything that was pure and good about her home planet.

"What did it look like?" Maig pressed.

This time, the Doctor answered. He came up beside Tabitha, an encouraging presence. "It was one of the few planets with a binary star system. When the twin suns rose into the sky, they lit up the Citadel of the Time Lords, which was surrounded by a dome of glass that sparkled like crystal. Hills of red grass rose and fell and swayed like the ocean, reaching out to the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The lakes were brown, but they were so clear that you could stare right to the bottom. Silver-grey clouds lazed across the burnt orange sky that grew so dark at night that you could point out every star, every distant galaxy."

"That sounds beautiful."

"It was..." The Doctor trailed off into silence, wondering if he had the strength to admit to this boy the atrocity he had committed.

Tabitha hastily picked up where the Doctor left off. "It was beautiful, and I remember it well. If only it had stayed that way." She inhaled deeply, steeling herself for what she was about to say. "One day, the greatest of the Time Lords came and declared war: the Daleks. They slaughtered so many people, and the fighting ripped Gallifrey apart until it was too much. I won't go into detail of all the horrible things they had done to the Time Lords. After many years, the High Council agreed to put a swift end to the war. President Rassilon-" Tabitha did not miss the Doctor wince at the name. "-proposed the Ultimate Sanction, which mean that Time Lords would become creatures of consciousness and all other beings would be destroyed. The final days of the war had turned to hell, so I understand why Rassilon chose that path. But it was wrong."

"What happened?" Maig began to grow scared. Tabitha and the Doctor, who both appeared so kind and jovial, were burdened with years of grief and sorrow. Yet, somehow, they kept going. "Did Rassilon do it? Did the Daleks win?"

The Doctor chuckled mirthlessly. "If either had happened, then we wouldn't be here. No, I stopped them both before they could destroy Gallifrey entirely by destroying it myself." His voice grew dark, and Maig shied away from him. "I used the Moment to time lock the planet and then fled like the coward I am. Now, I can never go back. Our home is gone, and it's my fault." He turned away so neither Tabitha nor Maig would see the hatred and self-loathing in his eyes. "That's why we don't belong anywhere. Because I _obliterated_ the only home we've ever known." Lengthening his stride, the Doctor passed the two, who stared at him with differing expressions. Maig looked upon the last of the Time Lords in fear, while Tabitha watched him with nothing but pity in her gaze. She knew she would have to give him a stern (well, as stern as Tabitha could be) talking to later.

None of them expected the voice that suddenly echoed from nowhere. "So the truth comes out." From the shadows, Lady Naseena emerged, shrouded in her cloak. When she threw back her hood, anger, mistrust, and sorrow fought for dominance in her eyes. "Is that why you're so eager to help us, Doctor and Miss Tabitha? A chance at redemption, is it? If that's the case, then you two can leave and never return, for my people can fend for themselves." Tabitha, with Maig still in her arms, and the Doctor stepped back when a knife made its way into her hand. She held it with the ease of someone who had done so many times. "Leave. Now."

"You've got it all wrong, Lady Naseena." Maig wriggled out of Tabitha's arms and stood in front of the two time travelers, defending them. He did not see Tabitha try to take the Doctor's hand, only to have him gently take it back. "They're tying to help us-"

"I heard," she replied. "The Doctor destroyed his home and is now searching for redemption. What better way that to save a dying planet? They'd be praised as heroes for centuries to come." She glared at the oddly silent Time Lord and the green-eyed woman by his side. "I thought, for a moment, that you two were actually trying to help our people, that you truly _cared _what happened to this planet, only to find out that it was all a lie. What's worse, you've pulled a child into this! You two are despicable."

"You have it all wrong," Tabitha cut in. Naseena made to argue, but Tabitha held up a slim hand, silencing the darker woman. "Yes, our planet is lost, but it was for the sake of peace and sanity. It was necessary." She turned her gaze back to the Doctor, her eyes pleading with him to hear the truth in her words. "If he hadn't, the entire universe would have been destroyed. That was his choice: his planet or the universe. I couldn't have made that choice. He's so much stronger than he thinks or knows." Finally, his blue eyes, filled with such emotion that it took Tabitha's breath away, met hers. "The Doctor's known for a while that nothing will lessen the guilt in his heart, certainly not saving another planet."

"Then why are you offering to help?" Naseena sheathed her blade. The sincerity in Tabitha's voice made it difficult for the colony leader to be angry at her, and that feeling spread to the Doctor as well. "I don't understand."

"It's because he - we - know how it feels to lose everything you've loved, and it's agony. So why would we let someone go through that?"

There was a moment of silence. Naseena stared at the strangers, attempting and failing to decipher their very being. They both seemed so old, but neither appeared older than she did. Yet Tabitha spoke with a wisdom and a love that went far beyond her apparent years. As for the Doctor, though he looked to be the same age as some of her soldiers, centuries of weariness battled with a childlike façade that was rapidly crumbling. She could tell that the man wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never see the light of another day or take Tabitha in his arms and cry, using her as a support. Naseena could see the guilt the man refused to show crushing him. It tugged at her heartstrings. However, she could not drop her aura of authority. "You two deliberately went against my orders.

"Yes, ma'am," Tabitha said clearly and proudly.

"I could have you both executed. That's what a proper leader would do to ensure the safety of her people."

"But you won't."

"You're right." Throwing back her hood to let her dark hair free, Naseena asked, "What can I do to help?"

"Have you ever been down here before, in these tunnels?" Tabitha questioned, knowing the Doctor was not in the mood to interrogate Naseena. "When we spoke earlier, it sounded like you've seen the thing sucking the water from your planet for yourself. If you have, tell us everything you remember about it. It'd be better if the Doctor and I went in knowing what we are about to face." Rarely did the Doctor do that. He preferred to throw himself into the situation without any prior knowledge, claiming it was more fun that way. No matter how fun he thought it was, it was an easy way to get himself killed. Tabitha would not let them follow his example.

Naseena bit her lip, internally waging war with herself. Once again, common sense won that bout. "It was large and metallic, with a clear cylinder as a base. Water was being sucked into the cylinder through plastic tubes, only to have the water drain into a larger tube and go elsewhere, like a sort of irrigation system. When I had first seen them, almost a third of the water in the planet's core had already been drained. I don't know where they are taking it." While she spoke, the four continued down the tunnels with Maig in the lead, followed by the solemn Doctor, and the girls bringing up the rear.

"Them?" Tabitha asked. "Who are 'they?'"

"There were creatures that seemed to be made of fire themselves. Their skin was red and orange and _burning, _and their eyes were as bright yellow as the sun above. They walked on two legs, but their arms and necks were longer and heads elongated. Also, they were much, much taller than we are. One of them saw me and shot fire from his hand; I barely escaped, only with a singed robe and wounded pride. How is that even possible though? No being I've encountered can produce fire from their hands alone."

"Fire creatures..." Tabitha muttered. "Doctor, have you heard of anything like it?"

"Sounds like the Fajro-Kahn," he replied, his first words since finishing their story. Not surprisingly, and to Tabitha's secret delight, the Doctor began to ramble. "Not that I've ever met them. Heard plenty about them, though, during my time in the Academy. I had a class where we had to learn about every sort of alien in the universe: element-based, binary-vascular, two heads, six legs, five arms. I know them all. There were whole chapters dedicated to the Fajro-Kahn, but they never said anything. I had a companion tell me that once: I talk all the time, but I never say anything. It was the same things with these books. They never said anything about _how _to fight or stop them."

"I saw one fatally wounded," Naseena said. "From what I understood, which was not much, some of the water had gotten on the creature and doused it. It screamed as we would if we had been burned. Doctor, what's wrong?" The Doctor had suddenly stopped, nearly causing the women to collide with his back. In front of them, Maig noticed that they had halted and rushed back, torch sputtering in the small breeze.

"I'm a stupid Time Lord."

"Why?"

He rounded on Tabitha. "Do you remember what I told you about why we couldn't get down to the core? It's because the temperatures would bake us in here. That is, of course, if there was any heat to start with. We haven't noticed it because we've been so busy walking and talking and keeping away from knives." Naseena had the decency to look ashamed. "Tabitha, don't you see what I'm getting at? The heat's not here! We shouldn't have been able to come this far without being burned to crisps, but we have. So, and here's my question: where's all the heat gone?" To emphasize his point, the Doctor pulled Tabitha closer to him and ran two fingers down her bare arm. Holding it up so that the light of the torch illuminated it, the Doctor said, "No sweat. Why?"

"Where's all the heat gone?" Tabitha repeated, spinning around herself. All she could feel on her skin was dry, cool air. That should be impossible.

"Tell me what you think, Tabitha." The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest, waiting patiently for her to answer.

She began to pace, her eyes fixed intently on the red stone beneath her feet, blocking off everything around her and retreating into her thoughts. Her hands were clasped behind her back. "These creatures are made from fire. Or, at least, they appear to be." The Doctor nodded, grinning like a fool. _She's much more brilliant than she gives herself credit for. _"Maybe they need to heat to keep the fire going; it would also explain why the water hurt the once Naseena saw. They're sucking up the surrounding heat, making it cooler in the tunnels."

"Excellent," he told her, sounding for all the world as a particularly proud teacher. "This explains the air and why we're not dead. But why drain the water from the planet? And where are they taking it?" The Doctor did not intend for anyone to answer these, but his grin widened further when Tabitha continued to speak.

"Maybe they're draining the planet so that they can live on the surface," she offered. "I don't know why they came to Dohzdar. Now that they're here, though, it's possible that they're trying to make it inhabitable for them... Maybe they lost their home and are trying to replicate it by turning Dohzdar into a desert. I don't know where they're pumping the rest of the water. It couldn't be anywhere on this planet because one desert isn't going to be enough to sustain them. That's a mystery we have to solve along with how they are stopping the rain as well." Tabitha cut off her rant with a deep inhale. Her face turned bright red when she realized that everyone was staring at her with differing expressions: pride, confusion, and amusement. "Sorry."

"No, that was fantastic!" The Doctor nearly picked her up and spun her around. She did not know how relieving it was to have someone just as brilliant to share an adventure with. Though he enjoyed working with himself when they had met the Gangers, working with Tabitha brought him so much more joy out of figuring out solutions to problems. "Absolutely wizard!" He settled with kissing her forehead, her face burning beneath his lips.

"But we are still no closer to knowing how to stop them," Naseena reminded.

"No, but at least we know about them." The Doctor was always one to look on the positive side of things, Tabitha realized. He pulled away from her but kept one arm around her waist, holding the woman gently against his side. "And we know where to find them! Thanks to Naseena's knowledge, Maig's stubbornness, and Tabitha's brilliance!" He spun them around and stopped short when, yet again, the tip of a spear hovered inches from his nose. The metal was bright red, as if it had been in a forge. Shoving Tabitha behind him, the Doctor followed the spearhead down the burning, metal shaft. The skin on the hands, arms, and rest of the creature's body was a dull red, like the dying embers of a camp fire, just waiting for someone to stir the embers into a blazing flame. The skin was cracked with an orange light shining through. When the Doctor's eyes found the creature's, he grinned brightly at the empty sockets. However, from deep within the creature's body, a dimmed fire shined on and illuminated the black, flaky bone. Its lipless mouth curled into a sneer, and the two holes in front of its face opened and closed with each breath it took. Other than a loincloth of some material unknown to the Doctor, the creature was nude. "Oh, aren't you beautiful. One of the Fajro-Kahn, I presume."

"You have encroached upon our territory, strangers. Now, you must die," the being demanded. Its voice even sounding like the licking and crackling of flames that only two could comprehend. The creature jabbed his spear at the Doctor, who stumbled back and nearly sent Tabitha sprawling behind him. She barely managed to catch onto his flailing arms as it was. All the while, the Fajro-Kahn advanced, his spear lightening in color as the heat sent to it intensified.

"What is it saying?" Maig asked in a quavering voice. He had scurried back to hide behind Tabitha and had his arms wrapped firmly around her legs. When the Fajro-Kahn appeared, the torch had guttered out and now rolled lazily on the ground, the cloth at the end nothing but ash. The only light in the tunnel currently came from the Fajro-Kahn.

"Firstly, it's a she, not an 'it.' Though, all Fajro-Kahn look so similar that its hard to distinguish one gender from the other." the Doctor began. "Secondly, to put it simply, she wants to kill us."

That was enough for Naseena to charge the Fajro-Kahn, bone-handled knife in hand. She ignored the Doctor and Tabitha shouting at her to get back and plunged the knife into the being's chest up to the handle. Naseena smirked victoriously when the Farjo-Kahn stumbled back and dropped her spear, but it quickly faded when white-hot flames burst from the wound, enveloping Naseena's arm. Screaming and clutching her arm, Naseena fell to her backside, her tears evaporating the moment they landed on scorched skin. She looked up with horror in her watering eyes as the Fajro-Kahn removed the knife from her belly, the melted blade running down her arm. She threw the bone handle aside before picking up her spear and pointing it at Naseena.

Just as she was about to skewer the colony leader, Tabitha squeaked, "No!" She made to take a step forward, but the sudden shift of the Fajro-Kahn's spearhead to her and the Doctor's tight grip on her hand kept her rooted in place. "Don't kill her," she pleaded from her place. The creature understood her, as did the Doctor. But, to Naseena and Maig, one word was indistinguishable from the next as she spoke in the crackling language of fire.

"Why shouldn't I?" the Fajro-Kahn snapped at Tabitha. She took two steps towards the TARDIS child, momentarily forgetting Naseena writhing in agony on the ground. "You are the ones trespassing. I have every right." To emphasize her point, she allowed the tip of the spear hover above the base of Tabitha's throat. Tabitha could feel the skin beginning to burn and boil beneath the immense heat. "Give me one reason." The TARDIS child dared not to say a word, as any movement would cause the burning metal to kiss the skin of her throat. She could not even gulp. "I'm waiting."

"We know why we're here," the Doctor cut in, hoping to divert the Fajro-Kahn's attention, which he did spectacularly. He nearly sighed in relief when the butt of the spear his the ground, the tip facing the tunnel ceiling. "But why are _you _here? Last time I read, you guys were doing quite well on Ignis. What would force you to find another planet?"

"Our planet died," she snapped at the Doctor, a hint of sadness in her voice. "The fires have turned to naught but ash, and the sky grew cold. There was nothing to do but evacuate and find another planet to inhabit. Then we found Dohzdar-"

"And sent an entire civilization underground!" the Doctor interrupted, shouting. The Fajro-Kahn dimmed before brightening in anger, her hands tightening around the shaft of her blade and waving it at the four. Tabitha jumped back when it nearly caught her shirt, angering the Time Lord. "Oh, don't give me that! What do you mean Ignis died? A planet can't just die; something has to have happened - a global epidemic, a natural disaster, sucked into a black hole, _anything!_ Planets just don't die. So what happened... Sorry, do you have a name?" She did not respond. "Fine, no name. But tell me why you've invaded Dohzdar."

"I fail to see how you can be of any help." She jabbed her spear at the Doctor, but he stood his ground. "Who are you, man?"

He smirked. "I'm the Doctor."

The Fajro-Kahn staggered back as if his name was a visible shove. "The Doctor," she snarled, her voice sounding like the hissing of a dying fire beneath water. "Destroyer of a thousand worlds, including his own. Tell me, Time Lord, why are you here?"

"I asked first." The two aliens engaged in a silent battle of wills while Tabitha rushed to Naseena's side. She gingerly took the injured appendage, frowning at the tears appearing in the darker woman's eyes. Silently and discreetly, Tabitha removed Naseena's robe, revealing the purple, figure-hugging gown beneath, and began ripping it into thick strips. If Naseena had not been in such pain, she would have snatched the pale cloth from the TARDIS child's hands. As it was, she could hardly keep down her sobs, and so she watched as Tabitha wrapped the cloth around her arm, entirely covering the limb with the scraps of her robes. With the leftovers, she fashioned a crude sling and helped Naseena rest her arm in it. Satisfied with her work, Tabitha carefully hoisted Naseena to her feet with one arm wound around the woman's waist. As she did all this, Tabitha was unaware of the Doctor's unwavering gaze on her. "Why are you here?"

"As I said, our planet is gone. We need another."

"That's fine," the Doctor countered. "We can help you find another, Tabitha and I. But you can't just take over Dohzdar. This planet is already home to another species, other life forms, and you cannot just take that away from them."

"And who are you to command us?"

Before the Doctor could answer, another of the Fajro-Kahn came up behind him and knocked the Time Lord out with the butt of his staff. While they had been talking, more of the fire creatures had joined them, silently approaching the group. Maig had been tossed over one of the Fajro-Kahn's shoulders, as stiff as a board lest he burn himself. Naseena and Tabitha were surrounded and surrendered without fuss. The woman, with a groan, flung the Doctor over her back and shoulders. "Let's go." With that simple command, the Fajro-Kahn herded the group deeper into the tunnels. They allowed Naseena to use Tabitha as a support, limping down the paths.

"Where are they taking us?" Naseena whispered to Tabitha.

"Farther into the planet's core. They're going to show us how they managed to suck this planet dry."

"Why would they do that?"

Tabitha's answer dropped a block of ice into her stomach, but she knew that she was right. "They want us to see just how powerful they are. That it's too late for us to stop them. Once the Doctor's woken up and accepted that, then they're going to kill us. It's the only way to stop us from trying to stop them."

"Correct," one of the Fajro-Kahn responded. "Now, silence."

Tabitha and Naseena took a few steps in a tense silence until Tabitha said so low that Naseena could hardly hear her, "But, with everything they know about the Doctor, they've forgotten one thing." Naseena 'hmm'-ed. "He's not going to give up without a fight."


	22. Heat of the Desert 4

**I  
Do  
Not  
Own  
Doctor  
Who (Just in case you've forgotten) :P**

**Writing this story has been such fun! It's nowhere near over, though. Enjoy Chapter Twenty-One!**

* * *

Tabitha gasped when they arrived at the core of Dohzdar. Like the Doctor had said, the center of the planet was a sort of oasis, with the bluest water Tabitha had ever seen, even more blue than the Doctor's eyes. When she glanced into the reservoir before the Fajro-Kahn yanked her back, singeing her arm and causing her to hiss through her teeth in pain, Tabitha could see her reflection staring back at her and, passed that, the bottom of the massive ocean-like body of water. If that was due to the clarity of the water or the fact that over half of it had already been drained, Tabitha could not be sure. However, she did not have time to thoroughly examine it, as the Fajro Kahn threw her, Naseena, Maig, and the unconscious Doctor into a cage set into the rock face. Tabitha spent the time with the Doctor's head in her lap, running her fingers through his floppy hair. Naseena was curled up against the wall, cradling her injured arm to her chest. Maig grabbed the bars of the cell and rocked it back and forth, shouting obscenities in a language the Fajro-Kahn, thankfully, did not understand.

"Maig, stop," Naseena commanded in a strained and choked voice. She pushed herself to her feet with her knees and her good arm, hobbled over to the boy, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Maig turned to her with anger in his eyes. Not tears, as she had expected. "They're not going to listen to you."

"So do you want me to give up now so it'll be easier for them to kill us later?" he snarled back. The rage in his words caused Naseena to take a step away from the boy. He jabbed a finger at Tabitha and the unconscious Doctor. "_They _promised that they would help us take back our planet and return it to the way it was. I may have never seen Dohzdar for myself, but my parents and grandparents told me that it was beautiful. I refuse to give up the chance at the only home I may ever know. I WILL NOT DIE DOWN HERE!" With a feral howl, Maig grabbed onto the bars and yanked repeatedly, the semi-formed muscles bulging beneath his dark skin. Naseena tried to calm him, but he flinched away from her touch. "No! No! No! I won't!"

"Maig," a softer voice cut through the chaos. Both Naseena and Maig turned to find Tabitha staring at them, emerald orbs glimmering with a peculiar combination of determination and regret. "If it's the last thing I do, I am going to get you and Naseena out of here, along with the Doctor if I can. You will not die down here. You'll live to a ripe, old age, taking care of your parents and helping them raise your little sister. You'll get married, have a family of your own, and be spectacular." She smiled when she felt the warmth of her mother's consciousness dancing throughout her mind. She showed her an image, a glimpse of the future of a young man garbed in the robes of the colony leader. She knew it was Maig, standing proudly over his people. _But, if Maig is the future colony leader, what happens to Naseena? _Tabitha glanced at the woman. "I made a promise to help you, and I never break my promises. Ever."

"It would be better if you did not say things like that," Naseena commented glumly. "You may find yourself breaking a promise."

"I won't. Ever. As long as I have breath in my lungs, Maig is going to suvive." The certainty in Tabitha's voice made Naseena swallow her next words. The current colony leader simply nodded and fell back onto her rear, a cloud of dust rising around her. She winced as she jostled her arm, and Tabitha found herself wishing she could do more for Naseena.

"Silence, prisoners," one of the Fajro-Kahn demanded, thrusting the point of his sper through the bars. Maig jumped back to avoid being skewered. Naseena gasped onto his wrist before the boy could charge the aliens. He thrashed against her grip, but Naseena was relentless. Her hand was like an iron cuff around his wrist. It was not long until he settled on the ground next to her, utterly spent. But the intensity of his glare never weakened as the Fajro-Kahn continued on, his voice crackling as he or she laughed.

Returning her gaze to the Doctor's head in her lap, looking for all the world as if he were sleeping, Tabitha closed her eyes and easily pushed passed his mental barriers to caress his consciousness with her own. She could feel it rousing, awakening. While he was in this state of semi-consciousness, she spoke to him. _I don't blame you for Gallifrey, you know. By all rights, I should. My sisters are dead, everything I knew gone - just like you, I'm the last of my kind. I should be angry, and anyone would say that I have every right to place all the blame on you. _She smiled gently when she felt the Doctor move, absentmindedly nuzzling his face into her hand that ran through his hair and stroked his cheek. _But I don't. You had a choice between what was easy and what was right... I wouldn't have been able to choose what was right. I'm glad you did what was necessary._

_Why? _his mind was weak as it woke. It reminded Tabitha of a parched throat begging for water. _I took away everything from you._

_And gave me so much more. For that, I thank you. _Opening her eyes, Tabitha leaned down to kiss his forehead. When she pulled back, she was unsurprised to find him staring up at her, an emotion in his blue eyes that she could not place. He grabbed the hand that was tangled in his hair and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Welcome back."

"Good to be back." He reached up and ran a thumb over her cheek, delighting in the red that exploded beneath the pad of his finger and colored the rest of her face. The Doctor knew he would never tire of making Tabitha blush, or smile, or laugh, or anything that brought that gleam of joy into her eyes. When he awoke to find her smiling down at him, he could feel his heart rate pick up and hoped that Tabitha could not hear it as well. He stroked her warm cheek a few more times, marveling at how smooth her skin was. At the same time, the Doctor was hyperaware of _her _thumb tracing circles over the back of his hand. For that one moment, Naseena and Maig were gone along with the Fajro-Kahn. It was only them.

The Doctor had found himself in such moments more often than not. After the adventure in England with the shadow, the Doctor had taken to keeping Tabitha close to him, not wanting her to get herself into trouble when he could not take care of her, and she did not complain. Because of this, the Doctor indulged in staring at her, memorizing the curve of her neck, the individual spikes on her head, her pixie-like nose. He always wound up with an arm around her waist or shoulders, brushing the back of her hand with his own, ruffling her soft hair - innocent little touches throughout the day. However, the Doctor did not do this without her consent. Oftentimes, he asked her if she would like him to keep his personal space. Her answer every time was to step closer to him and lean her head on his shoulder while smiling that dazzling smile that took his breath away every time he saw it. The Doctor had discovered, processed, and understood his developing feelings for the TARDIS child (he had felt them before for others, just not this strongly) seconds after he healed Tabitha from their England incident. Now he was waiting for one of two things: 1) she admitting to having the same feelings for him, or 2) his feelings vanishing. As the latter was unlikely to happen anytime soon, the Doctor clung to the first with a burning hope.

"Doctor, I certainly hope you have a plan to get us out of here," Naseena remarked, coming over to stand above the two time travelers. She herself was a romantic, though she refused to marry, but Naseena knew that they were closer to dying now that the Doctor had awoken. Despite this morbid thought, seeing the two so enraptured with each other without the other one knowing brought a smile to her face that she was forced to stifle. "Because the Fajro-Kahn plan on gloating then killing us. Personally, I would like to live a little while longer. With this arm, I doubt I will, though."

The Doctor got to his feet with some assistance from Tabitha. He was about to respond, when an expression just short of panic crossed his face. Spinning around, the Doctor pat himself down, searching in vain for something he could not seem to find. Naseena and Maig watched with quirked eyebrows as Tabitha stopped him in his tracks, reached into his coat, and removed his sonic screwdriver. Blushing in embarrassment, the Doctor muttered, "Thanks."

"Doctor?"

The Time Lord turned to face Naseena and Maig. "You two are both okay! That's wonderful." He pulled them both into a hug, wary of Naseena's injury. "Don't worry, Nasy, I'll get that fixed up for you once we stop the Fajro-Kahn, figure out how they're stopping the rain, destroy their water-sucking device-thingy, and then get back to the TARDIS. Ooh, what's that?" The Doctor ran up to the bars, and his eyes widened at the sight of the massive pillar that constantly drained the water from the planet's core. "Aren't you a beauty? Well, if the Fajro-Kahn plan on gloating, they have plenty to brag about. I mean look at this! It's gorgeous." His eyes were alight with excitement when he turned back around, but it dimmed to a worry when he noticed the shiny burn on Tabitha's upper arm. "What happened there?"

"Hm?" Her gaze followed his and landed on her arm. She slid her sleeve down lower to cover it and wrapped her hand around it as well, despite the pain that suddenly lanced up to her shoulder. "This? It's nothing. I was just a little clumsy." Although his eyes flashed momentarily with anger, the Doctor said nothing about it despite not believing her story. For that, Tabitha was grateful.

If there was one thing the Doctor was known for, it was his compassion for others. As of late though, Tabitha had noticed, he had grown more and more intolerant of the cruel and evil (Tabitha hated that word, but she could not think of another at the moment) aliens they had encountered. Rather than offering them a second chance, an opportunity to repent and run, he had taken to threatening and attacking first. However, she had not missed the pattern: the two would land somewhere, get tangled up in some sort of mystery and adventure, she would get hurt, and THEN the Oncoming Storm would appear. Tabitha did not mean to sound arrogant or prideful, but it all stemmed back to her. His concern for her kept his mercy at bay. She knew being aboard the TARDIS could and would change the Doctor. Now, though, she wondered if her presence was changing him for the worse. As much as Tabitha did not want for that to be the truth, it made perfect sense to her.

Luckily for her, the Doctor had not heard any of those thoughts. His mind was occupied with forming a plan, her mind had put up impenetrable barriers, and their mental connection was still very weak. Tabitha would have been surprised if he even had a inkling of what she was wondering.

"How do we fight beings who can turn us to ash with a flick of their wrists?" Maig questioned.

"How are you so depressing for a child? Blimey, Maig!" The Doctor flitted around their small cell like a hummingbird, sonicing one place before jumping to another and then another. When Maig had asked his question, the boy suddenly found himself with a face full of Time Lord. "Find yourself a little optimism."

"Where?" He spun around himself, arms open wide. "We trapped here, and the Fajro-Kahn are planning on killing us."

"Well, that's a con. Now, the pros." The Doctor counted them off on his fingers while ate h same time mentally warning Tabitha that he may have use of her hands and fingers as well. "1) We've discovered where the Fajro-Kahn are hiding. 2) They've showed us their big, bad machine. That was their first mistake, because now I know what I need to work on. I just need them to be distracted long enough for me to take down the machine, which shouldn't be long with this." He waved his sonic screwdriver. "3) Although I don't remember much, I _do_ remember that the Fajro-Kahn are a prideful race. They'd want to kill us right in front of the machine. Flex their muscles, so to speak. That means we'll get out of this cell one way or another. 4) We have water! One of the greatest weapons in the universe after books and my sonic."

"Is it wise to reveal our assets right in front of our enemies? You, Tabitha, and the creatures seemed to understand each other earlier." Naseena spoke up with a curious tilt of her head. "I find that to be rather foolish, Doctor."

"No, no, that's just the TARDIS translation Matrix. It translates all languages. Just because we understand them, though, doesn't mean they understand us. I'm speaking Dohzdarrion right now so that you know what I'm saying. Tabitha understands all languages, but that's because she special. The Fajro-Kahn don't know what we're saying right now. But we, Tabitha and I, know what they're saying. Make sense?" Both Maig and Naseena shook their heads. "Of course it does! You're just not keeping up."

"Not everyone can follow you, Doctor," Tabitha commented with a giggle.

"You do, though, and that's what matters. I'd hate to be talking without anyone following. Then I'd just be listening to my own voice prattle on, and you know what that's like. Then again-" Tabitha clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping his rapid word flow. He turned to her with a quirked eyebrow. In her mind, she could hear him ask, _Rambling?_ Biting back a laugh, she nodded and then peeled her hand from his mouth. However, he caught it before it could return completely to covering her burn. His eyes followed the movement with thoroughly hidden sorrow sprinkled with rage. With their forming mental connection and with the connection she had had to him previously, Tabitha could feel those emotions boiling in his mind. "Sorry."

When Tabitha smiled at him, the door to the cell opened behind them, and a Fajro-Kahn reached in to pull them out. Before its red, cracked hand could reach Tabitha, who was the closest to the door, the Doctor drew her behind him and stared at the alien with a defiant gaze, as if just daring the creature to touch her. Surprisingly, the creature acquiesced and commanded them to follow, which they did without a word.

The Doctor was not aware that he still held Tabitha's hand until he felt it tighten around his. He glanced back to find her staring up at the device and the aliens that worked it. Unlike Maig and Naseena, who looked on in fear, Tabitha looked on with awe and respect. Her eyes were alight with the joy of seeing something impressive for the first time and having it meet your expectations entirely. After all the words and rumors whispered into her ear, Tabitha was not disappointed with what she saw. The device was exquisite, and the people were beautiful to behold, all burning with a mixture of colors, from dull red to a burning white. The Doctor could see that she was not fearful or intimidated or even slightly nervous, but humbled by this race thriving despite all the odds. The Doctor could see that she was not afraid or intimidated or even the slightest bit nervous by the hollow sockets glaring down at them. She was humbled by this race thriving despite all the odds.

That look on her face reminded the Doctor that, although formed from a chunk of the TARDIS consciousness which was centuries older than he was, Tabitha was just a child. Her mind may be ancient, but her body was new. She did not understand the pain of a burn before being touched by the Fajro-Kahn. She did not comprehend just how deep cruelty could run before Demon's Run. Never has she felt sun shining down on her skin before the adventure with the Chimera, and Tabitha still did not know how rain feels against one's skin. She obeyed her mother with a healthy fear, trailed after the Doctor like a lost puppy, and acted rather naïve and innocent at times.

At the same time, she was rapidly coming to learn and adapt to the harsh realities of the universe through traveling with the Doctor, Amy, and Rory. Amy treated Tabitha like the sister the Scottish woman had never had, gossiping about the men in their lives and "shopping" in the TARDIS wardrobe. Rory had become her closest human friend, and the human thought the same of her though she did not know it. His gentle nature as a nurse clashing with the Centurion within him made him one of the most remarkable humans Tabitha had ever met: unwaveringly loyal, protective, loving. Tabitha supposed that that was why she and Rory got along so well: old and young, jaded and innocent, fighting for dominance in a single body, yet remaining in a constant balance.

_A child and adult in one - sums her up quite nicely, _the Doctor thought.

He was forced from his musings when the Fajro-Kahn stopped at the base of their towering device. It was surrounded by railing of stone. "May I?" the Doctor asked before stepping forward and leaning against the rail. Glancing down at the planet's core, the water levels a fourth of what it used to be, he frowned. "Renewable water source, it may be. Slow at doing so, it certainly is not. You guys are draining the core and drying up this planet like a raisin while doing so. Don't need the sonic to tell me that. I know the _how_ and _why_ you're doing it, though I don't support it. But you guys have still failed to answer my question: how did Ignis die?" He turned to face the Fajro-Kahn, curiosity in his gaze. "Hm? Who's going to answer me?"

"Why should we answer you?" the Fajro-Kahn that had taken them from their cell responded.

"Because I'm the only one here who can help you." They paused, and the Doctor took their silence as a reluctant acceptance to listen to him. "I can get you all off this planet and find you a new home. One that's dry, and hot, and desert-y, the way you like it. All I'm asking is that you leave peacefully and give Dohzdar back to its people. No blood shed, no death, just a second chance at life. How does that sound? Hm?" He grinned at the Fajro-Kahn, hoping against hope that they would agree. But how many times have aliens accepted his offer? It was no different this time as the Fajro-Kahn laughed at one, mocking the Doctor's offer. The Time Lord's grin rapidly turned into a frown. "Is that your answer?"

"I'm afraid we must decline, Time Lord. Which means..." The Fajro-Kahn signaled to three more of the aliens, and they formed a semi-circle around the strangers, each with a spear pointed at one of them. There were two on the Doctor as he had pushed Tabitha behind him, pressing her back into the rail. While Maig and Naseena glanced expectedly at the Doctor from the corner of their eyes, waiting for them to reveal some elaborate scheme that would get them to safety, and while the Doctor eyed the spears drawing closer with each second, Tabitha judged the width from the rail to the water-draining device. Just standing there, she could barely brush it with her longest finger. _If I jump, though... _She glanced down at the depleted water, and emerald eyes with a steely determination stared up at her. _I could make that_.

_Don't even think about it, _the Doctor ordered her just as she was about to clamber atop the railing. His hand grasped hers so tightly that it soon turned white with blood loss. Tabitha gently loosened his hold, all the while covertly slipping his hand from his, until he was gripping her index finger. _What if you don't make the jump? What if you miss, hit the machine, and fall and drown? I don't want to risk you, too._

_I either jump and possibly __survive, giving you the diversion you need to make an escape with Naseena and Maig__, or stay here and die definitely. Your choice, Doctor._

She did not see the man bite his lip, considering her two options, one of which was not really an option in the first place. It was the inevitable if they did not act. _Tabitha, I don't like this... but I don't have a choice, do I? _The Doctor did not need to shake her head behind him to know her answer. _I can give you a few seconds, and you need to jump in that time. Once that happens, you're going to be on your own up there. Can you handle that? _Rather than nodding or responding in his mind, she gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. It did little to reassure the Doctor, though. _What are you going to do one you're up there?_

_I don't know yet. I'm making this up as I go along._

_You don't have a plan?!_

_Do _you _ever have a plan? _The Doctor could not respond to that. _Do you trust me?_

_Always._

_Then distract the Fajro-Kahn for a moment._

The Doctor smiled gently before pointing at nothing beyond the Fajro-Kahn . "Look!" Surprisingly, all the Fajro-Kahn turned, much to the Doctor's astonishment. While they were distracted, Tabitha hopped onto the ledge and launched herself at the device. She flew through air for a second and then crashed against the machine. Her hands scrabbled for a hold as she began sliding down the device. When her hands finally found purchase, Tabitha cried out at he sudden stop that jarred her shoulders and slammed her against the side of the machine, knocking the breath out of her. At the same time, the Doctor shouted, "Run!," grasped at Maig's and Naseena's hands, and pulled them down a separate tunnel with a number of the Fajro-Kahn chasing after them. The remainder of the aliens began tossing their spears at Tabitha, who was protected by their machine. Muscles straining, Tabitha began pulling herself up to get to the top, hoping that their spears would miss their target as she climbed. She was not exactly a difficult target to miss.

* * *

"Doctor! We can't leave Miss Tabitha!" Maig shouted as the man yanked him down the tunnel. But his words were lost on the Time Lord, or so he thought. Truthfully, the Doctor could not think of anything _but _Tabitha. She was back there... holding on to the device for her life... with the Fajro-Kahn all intent on reaching her. His hearts were screaming at him to get back there as fast as he can and get Tabitha, while his mind reminded him that Naseena and Maig were in as much danger as she was. So, reluctantly forcing back the wrenching of his hearts as they begged him to return to Tabitha, the Doctor continued on. "Doctor!"

"I know! But she's giving us time to escape. Not to mention, with her brilliant idea, I managed to come up with one of my own." When they did not respond, the Doctor kept speaking. Not like their remarks would have kept him from talking anyways. "I doubt that either of you noticed, but we're running down the path following the pipe that redirects the water. To where? No clue, but we're going to find out. What's going to happen is that you, me, and Naseena are going to find wherever that pipe leads to and disconnect it from whatever its redirecting the water to. And what do you think you're doing, Naseena?" The Doctor stopped short - Maig would have ran into his back if he did not possess such swift reflexes - and spun around to stare, wide eyed, at Naseena. Said colony leader was walking back the direction they came. She had removed the sling Tabitha had given her and was tossing another knife from one hand to the other. Naseena had hidden this beneath her gown alongside the first. "Get back here!"

"You need more time, Doctor," she called to the Time Lord over her shoulder, never looking back at him. "I can keep this group occupied long enough for you and Maig to put some more distance between you and the Fajro-Kahn. With you, Maig, and Miss Tabitha working at the same time, it should not be long before the Fajro-Kahn's plan is ruined."

"What about you, Lady Naseena?" Maig asked. The boy ripped himself from the Doctor's hold and scrambled up to Naseena. "We can't go on without a colony leader. We need you at Tar, to help us rebuild if the Doctor and Miss Tabitha succeed. If not you, then who?"

"You." Maig's dark eyes grew tot he size of dinner plates when Naseena unclasped the gold broach at her left shoulder that kept her cloak from falling, knelt down before him, and draped it over his shoulders. His hand brushed over the broach once it had been set in its proper place. "I, Lady Naseena, former leader of the colony of Tar, name you, Maig, as the colony's new leader. With this title, you must uphold the laws, customs, and traditions of the colony passed down from our ancestors and through the millennia. You will rule both justly and kindly with an iron fist but a gentle heart, and you first and foremost priority will be the safety and welfare of our people. Do you swear your life by these rules and vow to protect your people even unto death?" Mutely, Maig nodded. "Then it is my honor to step down as colony leader. Long live Lord Maig. May his reign be prosperous and bountiful until the end of his days."

"I-I- I can't be colony leader," Maig whispered after a moment of stunned silence. "I'm just a kid."

"I was younger than you when I became colony leader, and you're much more intelligent than I was at your age." Naseena gripped his shoulders. With her as face level, Maig could see the tears in her eyes. She was terrified. This surprised him, as he thought the colony leaders were supposed to be fearless. "Go on with the Doctor, and save the planet."

"They'll sing songs about you," Maig told her.

Naseena let out a chuckle. "I could only hope so. I've done everything I can for the colony and its people. My time has come to an end, and when the sun rises it will rise on your reign. Take this as well." There was a golden chain hanging around her neck, and Naseena lifted it over her head and lowered it around Maig's throat and upon his collarbone. Maig examined the rough, uncut sapphire before tucking it down the front of his tunic beneath the cloak. "Now no one will question your right to rule."

"But-"

"We don't have time, Lord Maig. Just go." She spun the boy around and gave him a gentle nudge towards the Doctor. He reached out for the Time Lord's hand and the two ran down the tunnel, ignoring the Fajro-Kahn as they came upon Naseena. She put up a fierce fight, but it did not take long until she was reduced to a smoldering pile of ash. Her knife clattered to the ground with a solemn finality. In their haste to get to the Doctor, the Fajro-Kahn trampled upon the ash, mixing it into the dirt. When they had passed, it looked as if it had not been there in the first place. The only evidence of where Naseena once stood was the knife, and even the blade had melted due to the Fajro-Kahn's heat, leaving behind only a handle that would decay and vanish with time.

As for Maig and the Doctor, the Time Lord tried to be ignorant of the tears streaming down the boy's face or the face that he continually stumbled over the hem of his too-long cloak. It reminded him momentarily of Tabitha when she wore his too-long leather jacket that his ninth incarnation has favored. He frowned as Maig wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve, which hung past his hands. "Maig, I'm sorry."

"She didn't deserve to die."

"No one does and certainly not the way she did. But, if we don't stop the Fajro-Kahn, then her sacrifice will be for _nothing._" Beside him, Maig nodded determinedly, his eyes red and glistening with unshed tears.

They soon arrived at the end of the tunnel, where the water from the pipe had been redirected into a single tank. When it was full, a number of the Fajro-Kahn would simply evaporate it and allow the steam to escape, giving the tank room to fill up once more. The Doctor and Maid hid behind a rock and watched them work. "Not the most efficient way of doing things, but it's still impressive. It's a shame we've got to destroy it. Maig." The boy snapped his head towards the Doctor as he handed him a stone. "There are three Fajro-Kahn up there (I'm surprised they even need that many in here). Anyway, do you think you could hit one?"

"Won't they fall into the tank?"

"Yes." His tone of voice clearly said that the Doctor was not happy about that, but Maig was smart enough not to question him. Instead, the boy took the rock, weighed it in his hand, and then let it fly. A second passed, maybe two, before they heard the sound of a definite impact followed by something falling into the water and the fizzling out of a flame. While the Fajro-Kahn stood in confusion, trying to figure out what had happened, two more stone went sailing through the air and sent them flailing into the tank. The water doused their flames immediately, and the three sunk to the bottom, nothing more than blackened, skeletal corpses. Maig started at the sight of their empty sockets staring out into beyond. "They're dead."

"I killed them." Maig suddenly shook himself out of his shock. "I can worry about that later. Right now, what are we going to do about this machine?"

"I'm going to use my sonic to make a clean break of the thing. We want as little of a mess as possible. And you..." The Doctor picked up a fallen spear by his foot and tossed it to Maig, who caught it deftly with one hand. Despite having just been in the hands of the Fajro-Kahn, the metal was cool to the touch and no longer shone with a dull, red light. Maig twirled it around experimentally. "You take that and break anything that seems fragile or important or both. We're going to raze this thing to the ground."


	23. Heat of the Desert 5

**Don't own Doctor Who. Unfortunately.**

**Chickens go cluck, and cows go moo. I have absolutely nothing to say about that, so just read Chapter Twenty-Two (which was ****_really_**** hard to write, and that's glaringly obvious)**

**Also, a massive thanks to everyone who had read, reviewed, favorite, and followed this story. To be perfectly honest, I've been starting to hate it as of late. But that doesn't mean it will go unfinished or lacking in its usual...*waves an airy hand to gesture to whatever charm this story may (or may not) possess*. You have all been a wonderful driving force, as it is your continuing fascination with this story that keeps it going. With whatever stories I may write in the future, I hope they garner your attention as well.**

* * *

To say Maig was enjoying himself would be a severe understatement. His wild, manic laughter echoed around the stone chamber as he swung the spear, connecting with anything and everything. The Doctor had said to hit anything that 'looked fragile.' Maig had never seen anything quite like this machine, all glass and metal and whatnot; so, to him, _everything _looked fragile, and the boy was more than happy to ram the spear against all points of the tank. Earlier, he had nearly taken the Doctor's head off with the spear, which would explain why the Time Lord was currently as far away from the boy as physically possible. He had made to apologize, but something reflecting the torchlight had caught his attention. Blindly, Maig had swung and attacked the inanimate enemy until he heard a satisfying _CRACK! CRUNCH! _Grinning and with adrenaline coursing through his veins, Maig assaulted the machine ruthlessly.

As for the Doctor, he stood along the walkway above the tank, hanging from his knees and sonicing all the nuts and bolts loose. Though his hands worked quickly and efficiently, his mind was on Tabitha, who had provided the distraction they had needed to get away. Was she alright? Have the Fajro-Kahn caught up to her? And what had she been thinking with that crazy plan of hers? Unknowingly, the Doctor found his hand tightening over his sonic until the skin on his knuckles turned white with the strain. _Has Tabitha lost her mind? _She could be seriously hurt! He had not even looked back to see if she had made it. _What if she hadn't, though? Then she'd be... be... _He could not even bear to think the next word. _No, she's alive, and we're going to get her back._

"Doctor," called Maig from the ground. The Doctor turned this way and that, nearly slipping from the cat walk and falling into the tank, until he could see Maig. The boy stood in his too-large robe with his hands, which were covered by his hanging sleeves, wrapped around the shaft of the spear that had nearly caused the Doctor to regenerate. "Can I break the glass now?" He gestured to the massive tank, and the Doctor could see the eagerness in his gaze. Maig _desperately _wanted to shatter the tank. Not because it would save his colony, but because he was a boy. He wanted to break stuff. It was in his DNA.

"No!" he suddenly snapped. With good reason, as he had told the boy from the beginning that HE would take care of the glass. "How many times am I going to have to say that, Maig?"

"Why not?"

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor, exasperated, explained for the fifth time, "If we just break the glass, then the water would go everywhere. It would douse the Fajro-Kahn and kill them, like those three at the bottom of the tank. Though that's a good thing for Dohzdar - you'd get your planet back, and everything would go back to normal - it's a bad thing for us. The only reason we're down here without turning to crisps is because the Fajro-Kahn are absorbing the heat, which is why they turned Dohzdar into a desert. The more heat, the better. For them, at least. Once they're gone, then what do we have to protect us from the heat? Nothing. So what we're going to do is break everything that's not going to release the water, get as far away from the core as possible while still staying in range, and then shatter the tank and release the water. If I do this right, then I should be able to set them off from the TARDIS."

"Set what off?"

"These." The Doctor pulled a handful of bombs from his pocket. When the boy asked _how _he had managed to fit them in there, the Doctor stated that the pockets were 'bigger on the inside.' "These beauties will resonate the glass enough to crack and break it. Thankfully, Tabitha's busy distracting the Fajro-Kahn long enough for me to place them."

"But what if the Fajro-Kahn just follow us to the colony? Do you have a back-up plan for that?"

"Back-up plan? I didn't plan to do this; it just came to me while we were running. What makes you think I have a Plan B if I didn't even make a Plan A?" Maig did not respond. He just glared up at the older man, reminding the Time Lord that Maig was now the leader of an entire colony and could have him beheaded on the spot. With that in mind, the Doctor sighed, as if annoyed with the boy. "My sonic can call the TARDIS to come and get us after, and only after, we meet up with Tabitha. She'd kill me if I let anything happen to her... Anyways, it shouldn't take more than a couple of seconds. Happy?"

"Yes." The Doctor grinned, finally thinking that he would be able to get back to his work. Of course, the universe was never so kind to him, and the Doctor groaned when the by turned back to the Time Lord. "Doctor, what about Miss Tabitha? She's all alone with the Fajro-Kahn. Anything could happen to her. Maybe we should go back and help her."

"Go back?" The Doctor swung himself up to straddle the cat walk rather than hang precariously from it. "I've thought about that, Maig. If we do, then we have no one to take this tank down. Now, I know that it's the pump and not the tank that's removing the water from the lake, and Tabitha's currently taking care of that. With she there and us here, then we have more chances of stopping the Fajro-Kahn. That reminds me - why haven't they come after us yet? We weren't very inconspicuous when we left..." He felt silent and listened intently for the sound of crackling flames and thundering footsteps, but they never came. He frowned. "What are they waiting for?" Once again, the Doctor simply listened, even Maig did not make a sound. Again, there was nothing. "This isn't right."

"Couldn't they just be trying to stop Tabitha? That water-sucking machine in the other room seems to be more important than this tank." He tapped said tank with the spear to emphasize his very valid point. Well, it would have been valid if it had not been the Doctor he was talking to. As it were, logic had no place in the Time Lord's travels.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"But-" Maig's huffed and ran a hand over the back of his forehead. It came away glistening with sweat. "Doctor, has it suddenly grown hotter in here?"

The Time Lord's eyes widened at Maig's words. He knew exactly what was happening. How could he have been so stupid to not notice? The mysterious absence of the Fajro-Kahn, the deafening silence, how easy it was to get in the cavern in the first place - it was all a part of their plan. The Fajro-Kahn knew their device would be able to handle the extreme heat, but he and Maig certainly would not be able to. In fact, the machine was designed not to melt under the heat. The Doctor did not waste any time in scrambling down to ground level, grab Maig's hand, and race towards the tunnel they had emerged from. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"Something's made them angry, and the Fajro-Kahn are heating up. If they don't cool down, then we'll be baked alive in here. We need to get out."

"We can't give up now!"

"We're not giving up," the Doctor told him. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out in case they ran into any Fajro-Kahn. Not for the first time, Maig wondered how the man had lived as long as he did armed with nothing but his silver stick that made noise and shone with a green light. "I've already set up the explosive, and they can be detonated with this or from the TARDIS. Not that hard. The difficult part is going to be reuniting with Tabitha and escaping without any of the Fajro-Kahn following us, but things rarely go the way I want them to. Since they _are_ going to follow us, I'm going to explode the bombs while we're running, which means we're going to have to run even faster to escape the rapid increase of heat. If not... well, I'm sure you can figure that out." Maig paled at the mental image of their skeletons turning to ash and ran faster until he was sprinting alongside the Doctor rather than behind him. "That's the idea."

the two suddenly came to a screeching stop, and the Doctor pushed Maig behind his back when they came upon a line of Fajro-Kahn blocking the tunnel and, consequentially, their connection to Tabitha. Unlike the three that had been in the tank room, these soldiers burned with a blinding white light, forcing the two intruders to shield their eyes. Slowly, the Doctor retreated backwards with Maig, never removing his watering eyes from the aliens.

"Doctor, what's going on?"

"Okay, maybe they're not angry," the Doctor mused aloud. "They knew all along who I was and why I'm here. Well, of course they do. _Everyone _seems to know me; I need to so something about that. But that's besides the point. As it is, they have no intention of letting us leave. So we're going to have to change things up. Hold on." Grinning and bracing for impact, the Doctor raised his sonic above his head and pressed the button, releasing its signature buzz. Behind them, they heard the deafening crash of the shattering tank. All eyes turned, astonished, towards the tank chamber, only to find a wall of water racing towards them. The Fajro-Kahn fled with a scream, while the Doctor and Maig simply stood there. "Well, this is not going to be comfortable."

"So what do we do?" Maig questioned. He raised an eyebrow when the Doctor adjusted his bowtie with an excited gleam in his eyes. "We're just going to stand here?"

"We can either stand here, or we can follow the Fajro-Kahn. If we wait for the water to meet us, then we'll get back to the main room and to Tabitha faster than they will. I'm a cool as a cucumber to hitch a ride." Watching the man shift his sonic from one hand to another, Maig noticed the excitement transform into apprehension. "Then again, this could be remarkably painful, and we've now reached the point of no return. In other words... GERONIMO!"

* * *

Tabitha came to an abrupt stop, and the Fajro-Kahn ceased their assault at the faint sound of tinkling glass, the roar of water, and an echoing 'Geronimo!' Laughing, she could not help but roll her eyes. But her emerald orbs widened at the sight of an underground tsunami colliding and crashing against the cave walls in its haste to reach them. Beneath her, the Fajro-Kahn scrambled around, hoping in vain to escape their rapidly approaching death. Still clutching onto the machine and having stopped climbing, Tabitha nearly fell when the Doctor forcibly pushed through her mental barriers. _Tabitha, run!_

_Run where? I'm stuck on the pump. Also, I'm never going to be a distraction for you ever again. Where are you?_

_Riding the wave with Maig._

_Wait... what?!_

She could feel him rather than see him shake his head. _There's not much time to explain. Here's the condensed version: the water's going to wipe out the Fajro-Kahn, causing the temperatures to spike. We - you, me, and Maig - need to get to some high area in order to signal the TARDIS to come and get us before we burn or get covered in molten metal. How's that for condensed? _No matter how hard she tried, Tabitha could not find a suitable response and was left gaping like a fish out of water. _Tabitha? You still there?_

_You didn't think this through at all, did you? How are you and Maig going to get to high ground when you're already on the wave. Let's not forget the massive, metal machine I'm clinging to at the moment. With the pressure of the wave, it's going to knock down the machine with me still on it. Also, you and Maig are going to crash right into it or, if you're lucky, one of the cave walls. Either way it's going to hurt. What are you going to do then? _The Doctor did not answer, just now seeing the numerous and possibly fatal flaws in his so-called "plan." _You're impossible. Listen- _Her thoughts cut off as the wave collided with the machine, loosening it from the cave ceiling and sprinkling red dust on Tabitha's hair. But that was the least of her worries, as she had lost her hold and was now falling towards the lake below. It was only by chance that her hand caught onto another pipe. She came to a sudden stop, nearly jerking her shoulder from its socket.

_Are you alright?_

_I'm fine. How about you and Maig?_ Tabitha looked down at the swirling, turbulent depths. She found the spears being tossed around like blackened toothpicks, the empty skeletons of the dead Fajro-Kahn, and the lake swiftly refilling. But there was no sign of the Doctor or the boy from the colony that had helped them so much. _I can't see you or Maig._

"Look down!" a voice below her suddenly called. Tabitha craned her head around and down to find the Doctor clinging onto the machine for his life, Maig sandwiched in between the pump and the Time Lord's chest. The two wore matching grins as they waved up at the TARDIS child. "Hello. Do you think you could call your Mum to get us out of this mess?"

Without responding, Tabitha closed her eyes and reached out to her mother's consciousness. _Did you catch all that?_

_Yes. Give me a moment. _She waited patiently and remained connected with her mother as the TARDIS vanished from the desert and appeared, materialized around Tabitha, floating in midair. As she hung from the pipe, the TARDIS was quick to set Tabitha on her feet, and she collapsed onto the ground while her mother fetched Maig and the Doctor. Before the boy and the Time Lord appeared, though, her mother snapped at her daughter, _What was he thinking? Has he lost his mind? _Tabitha knew the questions were rhetorical, and she simply laughed as the Doctor and Maig, both dripping water, found themselves in the TARDIS. The Doctor immediately went to piloting his precious time machine back to the surface. As for Maig, he spun around himself with his mouth hanging open, eyes large with awe and absorbing the bigger-on-the-inside box. Tabitha heard and felt her mother hum with a smugness that Tabitha was grateful she had not inherited.

"I-It's... It's..." Maig stuttered. Taking pity on the drenched boy, Tabitha walked over to him, knelt down, and grabbed his shoulders. "It's-"

"Bigger on the inside, I know." She gave him an encouraging smile before addressing the Doctor. "Did we ever figure out how they managed to stop the rainfall?"

"No, but I don't think we need to worry about that now. We've just destroyed everything they had in those caves. The core will refill, and whatever was keeping the rain from falling shouldn't be a problem anymore. In fact, if I'm reading this barometer right, a huge storm is on its way right now." The TARDIS came to a shaky stop, sending the three passengers stumbled over their feet and almost falling to the ground. "Sorry, Maig. That can happen sometimes!"

_Or all the time, _Tabitha and the TARDIS thought at the same time. Not counting the rough landing, the three were mostly unharmed. The Doctor was the first at the doors, the thrill of a job well done and its inevitable reward unmistakable. After flashing Maig and Tabitha a grin, the Doctor threw open the doors and laughed aloud at the cool rain that entered the control room. He sense Tabitha come up behind him, felt her place a hand on his shoulder, and heard her sharp intake of breath. This was the first time she had ever seen rain, and the wonder in her gaze reminded the Doctor why he brought along human companions. That initial awe and the desire to see more... this is what he lived for. With his attention on Tabitha's face, watching her every expression, neither of the time travelers noticed Maig race out, letting out a whoop of joy. It was the boy's first time experiencing rain as well, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. Not much farther, the well where they had entered the colony was blurred through the sheet of rain.

"It's beautiful," Tabitha remarked in a whisper. The words were meant to stay in her head. But, at the Doctor's stare, she knew it had done the exact opposite. She turned her face away from him, heat rising into her cheeks. "I've never seen rain before. At least, not this close." She suddenly jumped when the Doctor grabbed her hand and carefully maneuvered it so that it was not longer protected by the TARDIS. Tabitha laughed as the cool raindrops exploded on her palm, splattering onto her wrist and over the edges of her hand. "This is amazing."

_Amazing, _the Doctor thought. He had spent a good majority of his life showing humans the wonders of the universe, and it never failed to take their breath away. The Doctor supposed it was a common response, seeing new planets and creatures that only existed in science-fiction novels and movies. But, the Doctor always wondered, how could they be so astounded by this, yet find the natural occurrences on Earth boring? Snow, sleet, rain, tornadoes, sunshine, wind - the Doctor found those more fascinating than the scintillating constellations and the swirling nebulas. However, that is exactly what the humans wanted, and the Doctor was more than pleased to give it to them as long as it elicited the same response of childlike wonder.

With Tabitha, she was one-third alien, one-third human, and one-third sentient machine. There was so much more that she could experience because of her heritage. Rain was the least of these, yet she stared, enthralled, at the crystalline raindrops and the steely grey clouds overhead. The aliens and the universe bored her. It was the small things, the things people took for granted, that Tabitha found worthwhile.

And it made the Doctor's hearts soar that there was another who agreed with him.

"Want to get closer?" He did not need to see Tabitha nod to know the answer. So, with one hand holding her palm upwards and the other resting on her stomach from behind, the Doctor guided her outside. Her eyes fluttered shut at the feel of rain on her face for the first time. "What do you think?" he asked, his breath ruffling the hairs at her temple. The Doctor noticed that her hair had gotten a bit longer, the spike somewhat taller. Of course, the heat and sweat from Dohzdar's core had flattened that, but the Doctor knew that one day her hair would become too long for her to spike up. He was looking forward to that day, when he could finally tangle his fingers into those dark locks... _Stop, _he snapped at himself. _No need to act like a hormonal teenager. You don't even know how she feels about you. Keep it calm, clean, and FRIENDLY. AKA: Platonic. _The idea of it made him frown, and his hold tightened around Tabitha's waist.

"I love this," she told him, pure happiness coloring her words. "I'll never understand why you stay in the TARDIS when you could be playing in the rain. It's... beautiful. There's no other word for it."

"Yeah, it is." Tabitha completely missed the Doctor's gaze locked onto her when he replied. _Could you be anymore cliché?_ he asked himself.

The Doctor started when Tabitha disentangled herself from his grip and began spinning and skipping around, playing in the rain with Maig like the child she was. She rolled around in the forming mud, performed a number of cartwheels (which the Doctor did not know she could do until then), and even threw a wad of mud at him, catching him on his jacket. Maig guffawed and fell backwards, landing with a gooey _SPLAT. _Tabitha just disarmed him with that dazzling smile at her. It did not take him long to shed his jacket and run into the rain after her, chasing her around with flailing arms and echoing laughter. He spun her around, tossed mud at her and Maig, and was covered from head to toe in the stuff, but the Doctor had never had more fun.

No one knew how long the storm lasted or how long they spent running around and getting filthy. Once the Doctor had grown breathless, he retreated into the TARDIS, took a shower, and came back to stand in the doorway, towel-drying his hair. Tabitha and Maig were still playing in the rain and the mud. There was one point when Maig was lying on his back, struggling to regain his breath, that Tabitha pushed her hair back from her face, eyes closed, face lifted towards the roiling clouds overhead, and an ethereal glow about her that caused the Doctor's twin hearts to beat erratically. Leaning against the TARDIS, he could almost feel the warmth from Tabitha's mother wrapping around him like a net or cocoon. It was not unpleasant, but it certainly took some getting used to. The TARDIS had never openly displayed her familial affection for him. Ever since Tabitha appeared, though, she was fully content with coonstantly showing them both the depth of her care and love for them. He liked it.

Maig dragged the TARDIS child over to the Time Lord. "Thank you, Doctor and Lady Tabitha. You two have done Dohzdar a great service, and I will make sure everytone knows what's you've done and what we've lost today. Lady Naseena could have been proud." He frowned at the thought of the late Naseena and her sacrifice. Though Tabitha did not see the woman give herself up to the Fajro-Kahn, the Doctor explained what had happened, and Tabitha figured out the rest. Knowing that they had lost someone made her heart, or hearts, ache. "I only wish I could return the favor."

Tabitha bent down until she and the boy were eye level. "Just be the best you can be, and lead your people in Naseena's memory. She'd be proud of you, Maig." Tabitha gathered a boy into a hug. When she pulled away, Maig's eyes were full of unshed tears.

"That means the world to me, Lady Tabitha." His eyes hardened, and he turned to the Doctor, who stumbled back to hide behind Tabitha. He kept his distance, though, to keep from getting dirty again. "You take care of her, Doctor. Lady Tabitha deserves everything good in the universe. Promise that you will protect her. Promise it!" Nodding frantically over Tabitha's shoulder, the Doctor crossed both of his hearts. "Thank you. Now, I wish you both a fond farewell." Maig bowed before rushing off to the well. The Doctor watched the boy until he vanished inside the well.

The Time Lord turned to Tabitha and let out a snort at the mud that covered her... well, _everything._ Against the red mud, her teeth were sparkling white. "Let's get you cleaned up. Shall we?" She grinned before spinning off into the corridors, splattering mud everywhere. Despite the grumbling she heard from her mom, the mud vanished without a trace. Chuckling, the Doctor prepared the TARDIS to fly off into the Vortex and find Amy and Rory again, accepting that he would not find Melody with a weary sigh. He nearly jumped when Tabitha, showered and dressed, wrapped her arms around his waist, and her cheek pressed against his shoulder, like she had after their adventures with the Gangers. Apparently, the TARDIS had sped up the time in her room so that she could return to him more quickly. "Hello." He rested his hands over hers and desperately tried to slow the rapid beating of his hearts.

"Are we going back to Amelia and Rory?"

"Yes." He frowned when he felt he corners of her lips curl downwards. Unfortunately, the Doctor understood why. "We're not going to find Melody, and Amy and Rory need to know that... Why do you call her Amelia?" Carefully, the Doctor extricated himself from her arms and spun around so that they faced each other. She stepped back to give him his personal space. Though he missed the warmth from her body against his, the Doctor was satisfied with his hands still connected to hers. "Her name's Amy."

"No, it's Amelia."

"Amy."

"Amelia."

"Amy."

"Her full name is Amelia Jessica Pond, and I am going to call her by her given name. The only reason I call you by your 'nickname' is because a Time Lord's true name is sacred. Would you like me to go around calling you The-" The Doctor clapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish that name. He was no longer that person; he was the Doctor, end of story. At the victorious look she flashed him, he released her. "That's what I thought. Now, come on. Time to face the music." Tabitha reached passed him and out to the console but stopped with her hands hovering inches above one of the panels. "That's the phrase, right?" He nodded, and she beamed. "Fantastic." Tabitha brushed her fingers along the panel, and the TARDIS was suddenly soaring through the Vortex.

"How'd you do that?" the Doctor asked. Not that he minded. Admittedly, this ride was much smoother than when he piloted. "Have you always been able to do that?"

"Yup," she said, popping the 'P.'

His jaw dropped. "Then why haven't you done it before now?!" She did not answer, just laughed as the TARDIS tumbled through time and space.


	24. Let's Kill Hitler 1

**I don't own Doctor Who. BBC does. It's a sad but true fact. Now excuse me while I curl into a fetal position and cry about that...**

**Count to ten, jump and say WHEEEEE as you dive into Chapter Twenty-Three!**

**Fair warning, I absolutely HATED writing these next few chapters. If they're abysmal, I apologize. My muse had gone to other things (three other things, in fact), and only returned long after these chapters had finished. Since looking at them makes my muse growl and hiss, I was forced to leave them as is. Apologies.**

* * *

"Doctor, have you read this newspaper?" Tabitha asked from her seat on the floor, her back resting against the console and knees drawn up to her chest. The warmth and vibrations of the TARDIS seeped into her leather jacket, and she reached back to affectionately caress the machine. Leaning upon her thighs was a Leadworth newspaper opened to the head story entitled 'Leadworth Crop Circles'." Beneath the bold print, there was a color image of a cornfield from aerial view, where the word DOCTOR written in cursive could be seen. The second 'O' was just a large circle, and, if one looked close enough, there was a blue speck in the center of the circle. No doubt, the TARDIS. "It's ridiculous."

And it was. Her emerald eyes skimmed over the words, the theories of how this 'message from extraterrestrial beings mysteriously appeared over night.' Each theory was more absurd than the last. Tabitha even laughed aloud at a few, especially of one man who claimed that the aliens had abducted him because of his 'impeccable cursive' and demanded that he carve the word into the field. Unfortunately, and quite conveniently, the aliens had wiped whatever memory he had of them other than that particular moment. "Human can be so silly sometimes."

"Says the woman who has human DNA in her," the Doctor commented from the captain's seat. "Which means you're just as silly." _Yet so much more wonderful._ From his position, he had a perfect view of the TARDIS child enraptured with the article. As of late, the Doctor had found himself staring at her more and more, not that she often noticed, always in a world of her own she was. Each glance, the Doctor found something more to love about her: the way her dark hair stuck up like his previous regeneration's, her green eyes that held so much emotion, her fair skin with the faint smattering of freckles he had recently noticed, her thin lips curled into a delicate smile. He knew it was creepy to just blatantly stare at her, but he could not help it. And she did not seem to mind. In fact, those rare moments when Tabitha caught him staring, she would either make a goofy face that caused him to laugh or just stare back, just as unashamed.

"I'm also part Time Lord," she reminded him. "But, truthfully, _have _ you read this?"

"No." He immediately slid off the chair so he could sit next to her. The heart radiating off her body made his hearts flutter. The Doctor gently tugged the newpaper over so that one side remained on her lap while the other was on his. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he wondered briefly if she could heart his hearts pounding in his chest. "'Leadworth Crop Circles?' Is that the best they can come up with?" After carefully nudging Tabitha's head off his shoulder, he jumped up and ran around the console, pulling levers and pressing buttons that would send them on their way as they were currently drifting lazily through space. He made sure not to step on Tabitha's dainty feet with each revolution. "After all the time spent with me, I thought they'd come up with something a bit more creative!"

"You mean Rory and Amelia?" she asked, but he did not answer and continued to pilot the TARDIS. For once, Tabitha remained relatively unbruised as the time machine jostle around in the Time Vortex, and she laughed as the Doctor clutched to the console, struggling to remain upright. When she landed, Tabitha squealed when the Doctor, finally losing his grip, fell onto his back before her, his head landing next to her feet. "Are you alright, Doctor?"

Breathless, the Doctor remarked with a large grin that Tabitha had to return, "Never better." Rolling over so that he was on his stomach, the Doctor pushed himself to his feet and then straightened up before reaching down, offering Tabitha his hand. As she placed her hand in his, the feeling of her smooth palm against his widened his grin and brought a sparkle into his blue eyes. The Doctor pulled the newspaper from her hands, rolled it up, and tucked it beneath his arm. Without wasting another moment - he could feel the excitement rolling off of her in waves - Tabitha and the Doctor raced out of the TARDIS, hand in hand.

They had landed in a cornfield. In fact, they had landed in a bare circle in a cornfield, and Tabitha spun around herself in confusion, though recognition soon replaced it. Turning towards the Doctor, who stood in the center of the circle, she inquired, "How long until they get here?" The Doctor simply looked back at her and winked. She opened her mouth to ask again, but her words drowned in the sound of a car engine. Tabitha cautiously made her way to his side and linked her arms with his, prepared to yank him out of harm's way in a moment's notice. Though the car she had heard entered the circle, it stopped before reaching the Doctor. The TARDIS child smiled when Amy and Rory Williams stepped out of the car. She could not stop her body from tossing itself into Rory's arms the moment he was close enough, and the human chucked at her enthusiasm before wrapping his arms around the girl who had become like a sister to him and lifting her off the ground.

"Seriously?" the Doctor questioned the humans, partially referring to the article and partially referring to Tabitha's warm welcome. _Too warm welcome, _the Doctor thought jealously. He watched her extricate herself from Rory's arms before jumping at Amy, pulling the ginger, Scottish woman into a bone-crushing hug.

"You never answer your phone," Rory replied as Tabitha hugged him once more before returning to the Doctor's side. "And it's good to see you, too, Tabs."

However, all joviality vanished when Amy cut straight to the chase. "Okay, you've had all summer. Have you found her? Have you found Melody?" Tabitha could not face Amy when heartbreak was so obvious in her eyes, and the TARDIS child turned away with watery eyes of her own, distraught with her failure. Discreetly, she knuckled the tears away.

The Doctor passed the newspaper to Rory, but his gaze shifted towards Amy. "Permission?" With his attention diverted to the main story, Rory simply nodded, and the Doctor pulled Amy into a comforting hug. "You know who she grows up to be, so you know I WILL find her."

Tabitha walked over to stand by the Last Centurion. Leaning over his shoulder, she stared at the image, smiling softly at the message; unlike the Doctor, she thought that that had been a very creative way to contact the Time Lord. She blinked, only a split second of blindness; but, in that time, something had changed about the picture. A line ran through the word, heading straight for the circle where they all stood. Jabbing her finger at the picture, and nearly causing Rory to drop it in the process, she asked, "Where did this come from?" Rory called his wife and the Doctor over, and soon they were all peering over Rory's shoulders. The Doctor snatched the newspaper from the human's hands, eyes narrowing as he examine the line.

"That wasn't us," Amy said, confused.

Suddenly, the four heard the sound of a second roaring engine. As the Doctor lowered the paper, they could see a shiny, red Corvette rapidly making its way towards them, cutting through the cornstalks as if it were nothing but a wall of tissue paper. Screaming, they dived out of its path. Amy and Rory flew in one direction, landing beside the other. The Doctor had wrapped an arm around Tabitha's waist and dragged her to the side. She stumbled, lost her balance, and fell on top of the Doctor, the breath knocked out of him for the second time that day.

"Sorry!" Tabitha squealed. She tried to move, but his arm tightened around her waist and held her there.

As for the car, it swerved to a stop, inches from the TARDIS; behind the car, Amy and Rory were helping each other to their feet. A young, lovely, black woman stepped from the Corvette with all the grace and confidence of one with power in their grasp. She stood in front of the Doctor and Tabitha, hands planted firmly on her hips and a smirk on her lips, before saying, "You said he was funny. You never said he was hot." Her dark eyes flashed momentarily to Tabitha sprawled atop him, her fair face pink. "Or taken."

"Mels?" Rory said in astonishment as he and Amy stalked over to the dark-skinned woman. "What are you doing here?"

Mels turned to answer them while Tabitha gently pried his hand from her waist and rolled off of him. After pulling the bewildered Time Lord to his feet, Tabitha brushed the dirt and straw from his coat. The Doctor playfully swatted her hands away before she could adjust his bowtie and did so himself, trying to retain what little dignity he had left. Making sure that everything was in order and that Tabitha was not injured, the Doctor laced his hand through hers and pulled her towards the humans, listening as they marveled over the car. Tabitha ran her free hand over the warm hood. "I like it." Turning back to the Doctor, she asked, "Can we paint the TARDIS this color?" He immediately shook his head.

"Thanks, it's mine..." Out of the blue, police sirens sounded in the distance, growing louder as the police followed Mels' trail. "...ish"

"Mels, not again. You can't keep doing this," groaned Rory in disappointment, Amy nodding beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. "You'll end up in prison."

"Sorry," the Doctor cut in, "hello, Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost. You never said I was hot?!" The last question was directed towards Amy, who merely shrugged, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. Tabitha could not help but think, _I think he's very handsome._ Amy had to explain the meaning of 'hot' to Tabitha, not in regards to temperature, during their time on the TARDIS. She thought it was a rubbish way to describe someone's appearance when they had a plethora of adjectives at their disposal. When Tabitha began listing them, Amy plugged her fingers in her ears and skipped, laughing, from the TARDIS child's room.

"Is that the phone box? The bigger-on-the-inside phone box?" Mels questioned in awe, pointing at the TARDIS and ignoring the Doctor's comment entirely. Her hands caressed the worn wood. "Time travel - that's just brilliant." Not removing his eyes from her, the Doctor leaned against the TARDIS next to Mels, his hand still wrapped around Tabitha's and pulling her along, as she continued. "Yeah, I've heard a lot about you. I'm their best mate."

"Then why don't I know you? I danced with everyone at the wedding. The women were brilliant; the men were a bit shy."

"I don't do weddings." At this point, the police sirens were deafening. "And that's me out of time." Without warning, Mels pulled a pun from a holster hidden beneath her shirt and aimed the barrel at the Doctor. Well, she would have, if Tabitha had not stood in the way, blocking the Doctor with her own body much to Amy, Rory, and the Doctor's horror. They snapped and shouted at her, but it did not faze the black woman in the slightest. The burning, angry look in Tabitha's green orbs, though, did. But Mels refused to let it show. "I need out of here, now!"

"Anywhere in particular?" Behind Tabitha, the Doctor squeezed her hand, fearing for her life. He did not think Mels would shoot her, even if the police had them surrounded at that very second. But, to keep Tabitha safe, he would agree to anything Mels demanded.

"Well, let's see... you've got a time machine, and I've got a gun. What the hell - let's kill Hitler."

"No," Tabitha deadpanned. However, she could see the firm resolve in the other woman's dark eyes. She did not really want to go kill Hitler; she merely wanted an escape from the police. But, with a box that could travel through time and space, how could one NOT take advantage of that. "His actions are fixed points in history. We can't go back and just _change_ that." Tabitha crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry but I'm not letting you into this time machine."

Mels rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah, I wasn't asking you, Spikey. Get out of the way."

"Make me, _Mels._" The two women stood eye to eye, one looking down the barrel of a gun that could release a bullet at a moment's notice in the center of her forehead. With each passing moment, the sirens drew closer, the tension in the air thickened, and the Doctor became even more fidgety until he opened the TARDIS doors and yanked Tabitha into the time machine, followed by Mels and Amy and Rory. He pushed her into the captain's chair. Frustrated, Tabitha stormed over to the controls, ignoring Mels' arrogant smile. The TARDIS child could feel it burning into the back of her head, though, and her hands clenched into fists. In the back of her mind, her logical, composed side mused momentarily on the thought that she was becoming more and more human with each passing day.

"Mels, you might want to put that away," Rory told her, gesturing to the gun. Mels, ever the headstrong one, crossed her arms over her chest and stared Rory down, gun very visible in her hand.

"Don't worry, Rory," the Doctor said. "We are in a state of temporal grace. Her gun won't work in here."

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Tabitha questioned accusingly, not believing that he was actually giving in to Mels' demands. He said nothing as the doors to the TARDIS closed, and he sent her flying into the Time Vortex, to Berlin, Germany and Hitler. "Doctor!" Sighing, Tabitha helped him pilot the machine, attempting to make the trip as smooth as possible for all present. She started as the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the control room and let out a short scream when the bullet pierced the time-rotor next to her head. Tabitha jumped back, tripped over her feet, and landed on her backside, staring at the hole in evident terror. A few inches to the right, and that would have been her head. Absentmindedly, her hand reached up to knead the back of her whole head.

"Tabitha!" The Doctor ran over to her side, turning her face towards him so that he could check for any damage from the bullet. Fortunately, her face was as unblemished as the first day they met, and, in relief, he left a lasting kiss on her forehead before rounding on Mels in rage. The gun barrel smoked in her hand. "You shot the TARDIS! You shot the console! And, worst, you almost hit Tabitha! What the hell were you thinking?" The TARDIS then bucked, nearly throwing them all to the floor. They clutched to the railings or the console in order to stay upright. Tabitha pulled herself to her shaking feet, and the Doctor did not hesitate to lunge towards her and cover one of her hands with his, offering what calmness he could.

"It's your fault!" Mels shouted back.

"How is it my fault?"

"You said guns didn't work in this place," she snapped over the rumbling of the time machine. "You said 'we're in a state of temporal grace.' Besides, it's not like I hit her!"

Frantically working the steering mechanisms, hoping to get the TARDIS back under his control and failing, the Doctor said, "That was a clever lie, you idiot! Anyone could tell that was a clever lie! And you _almost_ hit her! Almost is too close!" The time machine continued to spin out of control with no chance of stopping it other than a crash landing. Jerking the screen over to him, the Doctor's eyes widened as he realized that they were heading towards a building in Berlin. "Hold on!" They all screamed as the TARDIS burst through a window, flew across an office and knocked a man over in the process, and embedded itself into the opposite wall.

"Doctor, what just-" Her words were cut off as the console released a noxious gas. Coughing, the five stumbled from the TARDIS, hands or shirts covering their noses and mouths.

"Out, out, out! Everybody out! Don't breathe the smoke! Just get out!" As Tabitha was the last person to get out, firstly making sure the humans were safe, the Doctor grabbed her and jerked her away from the time machine as hastily as possible.

"Where are we?" Amy gasped. This reminded her of the Gangers in the monastery with the 'choke-y gas,' as Tabitha had called it.

"A room."

"What room?" added Rory. Making his way to his wife's side, Rory patted and rubbed her back until the smoke cleared from her lungs, coughing and gasping for clean air himself.

"I don't know! I haven't memorized every room in the universe. I had yesterday off." Seeing that Mels was standing by the open TARDIS doors, the Doctor wrenched her away with his free arm, the other still clutching onto Tabitha. "Mels, don't go in there!" While he was busy keeping the human away from the smoke, Tabitha yanked the gun from her fingers, which Mels quickly objected to and reached for, but Tabitha simply held it farther away until the Doctor could take it from her after closing the doors. "Bad smoke! Don't breathe the bad, bad, smoke. Bad, deadly smoke, because _somebody_ shot my TARDIS!" Not quite knowing what to do with the gun as Mels stalked away, he tucked it away into a fruit bowl on a desk.

"Doctor, I think he's hurt." Amy and Rory were kneeling by the man who the TARDIS had knocked down during her landing. Tabitha wasted no time in joining them on the floor, wary of the glass shards and wooden splinters everywhere. "Wait, no, hang on. No, he's... he's fine."

There was a sudden groaning sound, and the Doctor spun around to face the desk once again where a man who had been cowering behind it now pulled himself to his feet. "Ooh, hello! Sorry, is this your office? Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about..._" _The Doctor's words faded into a stunned silence as the man turned to reveal the face of Adolf Hitler. "...it." Cautiously, the Doctor took a step back. Amy, Rory, and Tabitha stood behind him, all staring at Hitler in open-mouthed shock.

"Is that...?" Amy could not even finish her question. Although the TARDIS could travel through time, she never thought she would find herself staring into the face of one of the most deadliest men in history. "No, it can't be, Doctor?"

After a moment of silence, Hitler finally spoke. "Thank you. Whoever you are, I think you have just saved my life."

"Believe me... it was an accident." Hitler nodded, not reading deeply enough into the Doctor's words to discern what the Time Lord truly meant. His eyes locked on each person individually, taking their faces to memory, before it landed on the TARDIS. In awe of the blue box in his office, Hitler slowly walked over to it.

"What did he mean we saved his life?" Amy demanded in a whisper. "We could not have saved Hitler."

"Time travel," replied Tabitha. "It never goes to plan, especially when traveling with the Doctor. So, Amelia, Rory, we _did _just save Hitler, probably from that man over there. I hope that that doesn't change history too much." She jerked her head back to the man still on the ground. "Wait, what year is it?" Tabitha wiggled on the spot, the humans watching on in confusion. The Doctor tried to chuckle despite the situation. "Feels like 1938. That means it's not quite time for him to die yet; he still has a few years. No harm done then, as far as I can see."

"And you're positive?" Tabitha nodded, and Rory let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding.

"This box, what is it?" Hitler questioned from his position next to the TARDIS.

The Doctor could not resist scaring the German and said, "It's a police telephone box from London, England. That's right, Adolf, the British are coming!" Behind him, the man pushed himself to his feet. Hitler was able to see him, though, and his eyes widened at the sight. He pulled his gun from his holster and fired at the man, the Doctor ducking just in time. Amy and Tabitha both dived to the ground, Tabitha a second later than the Scottish woman; Amy looked over in concern when Tabitha landed on her arm and inhaled sharply from the pain. Hitler managed to get four shots out before Rory, ever brave Rory, punched Hitler on the chin, knocking him to the floor. Picking up Hitler's gun, which had fallen from his hand when he hit the ground, Rory leveled it at the German, who put up his hands in surrender.

"Sit still and shut up." In the background, Amy and Tabitha both got off the ground and helped the man up as well.

"He was going to kill me," Hitler explained.

"Shut up, Hitler!"

"Rory," the Doctor called, "take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there now. Do it!" He strode across the room to stand in front of Tabitha, his hands splayed over her cheeks, searching once against for any wounds. She had nearly been shot more twice that day, and that was twice more than the Doctor would have liked. But, rather than being shaken and pale, Tabitha smiled at him, grabbed his hands, and pressed playful, friendly kisses into his palms, assuring him that she was perfectly fine and unharmed. He reached out once again to cup her face, thumb stroking the smooth skin, forgetting the world and the chaos surrounding them. The Doctor did not listen as Rory stuffed Hitler into the cupboard or as the man fainted from shock. His eyes were locked on Tabitha, and, under his intense gaze, she blushed and turned her eyes to the floor.

It was not until Mels collapsed and Amy was shouting her name, trying to get her to stay conscious, did the Doctor snap out of his daze. Never releasing Tabitha's hand, she and the Doctor knelt by Amy and Rory. The resident nurse pressed down on Mels' bullet wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

"How bad is it?" Amy demanded, tears in her eyes, as she stroked Mels' hair from her face. "Rory, what can we do?"

"Just keep her conscious. Stay with us, Mels!"

"Hey," the Doctor cooed. "Look at me. Just hold on."

"I used to dream about you. All those stories Amy told me," Mels said in between painful gasps. "When I was little, I was going to marry you. Then I found out you were taken. She's a cute one, though, so I'll let it slide." She laughed, but it soon turned into a wince of pain.

"If you live, I'll marry you. How about that?" The Doctor did not noticed Tabitha's frown.

Mels, however, did. "I don't think your girlfriend is going to like that. Besides, shouldn't you ask my parents? Might as well do it now, since they're both right here." She stared pointedly at Amy and Rory. The Doctor, following her gaze, gaped at the ginger and the nurse, who backed away from Mels, their best mate, in disbelief. "Penny in the air." Her hands began to glow with regeneration energy, and the Doctor and Tabitha yanked Amy and Rory back. Mels just chuckled. "Penny drops. Last time I did this, I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York." Mels got to her feet, staring down at her hands that swished through the golden cloud.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Rory.

"Doctor," Amy pleaded, "explain what is happening. Please."

"Mels, short for..." the Doctor trailed off, allowing Mels to finish with, "Melody."

"Yeah, I named my daughter after her," Amy revealed wistfully.

"So you named your daughter," began Tabitha, her voice intrigued and somewhat amused, "after your daughter."

"Took me years to find you two," Mels, or Melody, told Amy and Rory. "I'm so glad I did. And, you see, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all." She smiled at her parents, her tough exterior fading to reveal the scared, but finally at peace, Melody Pond beneath that had been kidnapped at Demon's Run.

"But," Rory said, "if she's Melody, that means she's also-"

"Oh, shut up, Dad!" Mels snapped half-heartedly. "I'm focusing on a dress size." Mels gave into the regeneration, screaming as the change took place. Like anytime there was a loud noise or someone was screaming in pain, Tabitha clapped her hands over her ears, but she never removed her green eyes from Mels as she transformed. When it ended, Mels jerked forward with a start. But she was no longer Mels. Her long, black braids had transformed into an abundance of blonde curls that seemed to never end. Her skin was now white, rather than black, and blue eyes stared at the world anew instead of brown. Despite the change, she was all too familiar to the four time travelers.

River Song.


	25. Let's Kill Hitler 2

**I have a feeling that I am going to regret this, but (for those of you who DO read these Author's Notes) who would you like to see as the 12th Doctor?... saying that's going to take some getting used to. 12th Doctor... Tweeeeellllffffth Doctor. I'll get used to it eventually.**

**Seeing all the favorites, and followings, and reviews make my heart soar. How you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Four :)**

* * *

Running her hands over her body, Melody Pond, now River Song, said, "Right, let's see then. Ooh, it's all going on down there, isn't it?" She reached up and dug her fingers into her hair. "The hair!" She rushed over to the single mirror in the destroyed office, ruffling her blonde curls. "Oh! The hair, it just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that! Everything changes! Oh, but I love it, I love it!" She turned back to the four standing by the desk, who were still watching River in thinly veiled surprise. "I'm all sort of... mature." In an attempt to look seductive, she planted her foot on a piece of furniture; the Doctor briefly covered his eyes in embarrassment. "Hello, Benjamin."

"Who's 'Benjamin?'" Tabitha asked Rory. The nurse shrugged, unable to form a sentence.

Melody began clacking her teeth and turned back to the mirror to examine her straight, white teeth. "The teeth! Oh, look at them." Running over to the four, she forced herself upon the Doctor until his back was pressed against Tabitha, who stood behind him with the edge of the desk digging into her back. His arms came around to steady him and to grab her hands clutching onto the desk; one of his hands landed on the fruit bowl, causing it to spin. "Watch out! That bowtie. Excuse me, you lot, but I need to go weigh myself." After smirking one last time at the Doctor, River streaked to the restroom, leaving the four of them in a stunned silence in the office. The Doctor drew Tabitha from behind him and placed her at his side, one arm wrapped loosely around her waist.

"That's Melody?" Amy question slowly. Despite seeing the transformation occur, Amy had a difficult time wrapping her head around it.

"That's River Song," Rory added, equally in shock.

Melody, having heard her name, came to the doorway. "Who's River Song?" All four heads turned to her with the same expression of shock and overwhelmed on their faces.

"Spoilers," Tabitha remarked. _So I'm the one who teaches her that,_ the TARDIS child thought. _Now it makes sense why she winked at me at Demon's Run._

"Spoilers? What's spoilers?" River lifted an eyebrow and planted a hand on her hip. However, she felt something that made her mouth open in hopeful disbelief. "Hang on, just something I have to check." And she ran back excitedly into the other room, soles of her boots slapping against the ground. "Ah! That's magnificent!" they heard her shout, evidently pleased with whatever she had discovered. More than likely, her newly acquired figure beneath her black and pink shirt, black jeans, and her black jacket.

Rubbing his head, Rory asked, "Is anybody else finding today a bit difficult? I'm getting a sort of banging in my head."

"Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard," the ginger joked, attempting to make light of the situation the four had suddenly found themselves in. But, with a silencing glare from her husband, Amy cleared her throat, pretending the words had not left her mouth. "So, Doctor, Tabitha, what just happened? That can't be River. She doesn't even recognize us."

The Doctor pushed himself away from the desk and walked across the room, Tabitha quietly trailing after him like she always did, followed by Amy and Rory. "It is indeed River Song, but this isn't the River Song that we know yet. This is her at the very start. Doesn't even know what her name is." A deep, heavy sadness laced his words, weighing them down. The Doctor could not help but feel that he had let down Amy and Rory, his closest friends, and that he had betrayed Melody Pond, not that she ever knew him. But he had vowed to safe her, and he had failed. However, when Tabitha slipped her hand into his and gave it a comforting squeeze, drawing his sorrow-ridden gaze, the crushing guilt lessened. He brought up her hand and pressed a gentlemanly kiss on the back of it. "Thank you," he whispered to the TARDIS child. Behind them, in a moment of peace, Amy was pulled into Rory's side, and the humans smiled at the Time Lord and Tabitha. That moment was broken, though, when Melody rushed back into the room, her face alight with happiness.

"I'm going to wear lots of jodhpurs!" she exclaimed. River sauntered around the room a bit before, standing beside the chair that had managed to survive the TARDIS crashing, she wheeled around to face the Doctor, pulling a gun from behind her back and aiming at him. Much like earlier, Tabitha had stepped in the way at the last second, crossing her arms and leather sleeves over her chest. "Well, now, enough of all that! Down to business. You, Spikes - Get out of the way." Tabitha simply stared, green eyes boring a hole into River, who began feeling rather uncomfortable under her stern gaze. River felt almost regretful threatening her. Someone _that _fearless was better as a friend, not an enemy. "Move, or I'll shoot you. I'm not here for you, but I'll kill you if I have to."

"No, there'll be no killing," the Doctor interrupted, slowly pulling Tabitha away from the gun and behind him; River's hand followed her until the gun was pointed at the Doctor rather than the TARDIS child, and she grinned. How many times was Tabitha going to be put, and put herself, at gunpoint in one day? It was reaching the point where the Doctor needed more than one hand to count it, and he was _not_ happy about that fact. "Besides, I thought we were getting married."

"I told you, I'm not a wedding person. And, like I said, I doubt your girlfriend would appreciate it." River, who had walked towards Hitler's desk, nodded at Tabitha's who peered over the Doctor's shoulder. She did not miss the brief flash of jealousy in the TARDIS child's eyes, but Tabitha quickly pushed it down.

"Doctor, what is she doing?" Rory's voice shook. "Where'd she get the gun?

"What she was programmed to do. Amelia, Rory, I'm so, so sorry," answered Tabitha, responding to the first question. "As for the gun..."

"Hello, Benjamin," the Doctor finished grimly.

"You noticed!" River fired the gun. Amy and Rory flinched, prepared to throw themselves to the floor, but the Doctor and Tabitha remained standing as nothing fired from the barrel. The chambers were empty. The Doctor _had _noticed and had removed the bullets, which he was not ashamed to admit to River, who tossed the gun to the side. "I know you did." She reached back into her vest, searching for another weapon; but, when her hand came back out, there was a banana in her grasp rather than the gun she expected. "Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?" she asked, exasperated.

Swaggering up to his killer, leaving Tabitha behind with Amy and Rory, the Doctor plucked the banana from her hand. "Why? Are you busy?" He tossed it back over his shoulder, and Tabitha caught it moments before it landed on the ground. Bananas were good, and it would be a shame to just throw it away.

"Oh, I'm not complaining." She grabbed the letter opener from Hitler's desk and swiped at the Doctor. As he jumped back and dodged the silver, glittering weapon, he drew his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the letter opener. It flew from her hands, sliding and clattering away on the marble floor.

"If you were in a hurry, you could've killed me in the cornfield." The Doctor flipped the sonic in his hand, a smirk on his face. He spun around to flash a wink at Tabitha; she smiled, flushed, and turned her gaze towards the banana in her hands. Despite the peculiarly warm feeling in her stomach and chest (it came whenever he hugged her or winked at her or kissed her hand), Tabitha could not help but feel... wrong. There was something that was coming, something bad; at moments like this, Tabitha wished she could just _know_ instead of having these feelings. It was getting hard to differentiate them from her own emotions.

"We'd only just met," River responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world: not kill the man you had just met until _after _regenerating. "I'm a psychopath. I'm not rude." While the Doctor was distracted with the pink-faced TARDIS child, River spun around, pulled the gun from the fruit bowl, and fired at the Doctor. Amy screamed, this time expecting the Doctor to collapse with a bullet in his back. But the Doctor just held out the clip and blew on it. Finally, realizing the two were at a stalemate, River and the Doctor began circling one another, like two rival leopards, their eyes never straying from the other.

"You were not a psychopath! Why would she be a psychopath?" Amy was wrapped in Rory's arm, staring at her daughter in absolute heartbreak and desperation. How could her daughter, her sweet, innocent Melody, turn into such a monster?

River rolled her eyes. "Oh, Mummy, Mummy, pay attention. I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor." Her eyes snapped over towards Tabitha, locking eyes with the TARDIS child. "And her, if she proves to be a nuisance... which she has." She glanced over at Tabitha. "Sorry, dear, but we don't need anymore opposition. It's just good business. But the Doctor's first. Don't worry though, sweetie; I'll get to you when I'm done with him." When Tabitha's eyes hardened to chips of emerald ice, but with a burning anger and underlying sadness, River struggled not to step back in fear. She had never seen so much emotion in a person's eyes before.

"Demon's Run, remember?" the Doctor explained coldly. "This is what they were building: my bespoke psychopath." River and the Doctor ended up face to face, the woman with a confidence in her eyes that made Tabitha shudder. Something was positively, definitely, _wrong._

"I'm all yours, sweetie," River murmured before placing a chaste kiss on the Doctor's lips, causing Tabitha to seethe with jealousy. As of late, Tabitha found herself more... _possessive_ of him, though she had no right to be. He did not belong to her, and he was free to kiss whomever he wished. Now if only she could convince herself of it. But, for now, her hands clenched into fists, turning the banana into mush. With the jealousy, the sense of wrongness, and the anger blending together, a throbbing headache was beginning to form. The pounding was slowly growing in intensity until Tabitha could not bother to pay attention to the Doctor. She raised a hand and rubbed her head, hoping to relieve the pressure. If anything, it only made it worse. _This cannot be happening now._

After a moment, her head cleared long enough to see River perched on a windowsill, prepared to jump. As she pondered and awed over 'Berlin on the eve of war,' Tabitha noticed the Doctor staring in confusion at his hand. He flexed and relaxed it, feeling a tingling that he did not like. Behind them, Tabitha did the same, as she had lost all feeling in her hand out of the blue. "Mum, Dad, don't follow me. And, yes, that is a warning."

"No warning for me, then," the Doctor questioned.

River grinned maliciously. "No need, my love. The deed is done, and so are you." Suddenly, when he tried to take a step forward, the Doctor's legs wobbled and fell out from beneath him, unable to support his weight. Rory and Amy both grabbed one of his arms, holding him upright. Neither of them, save River Song, noticed Tabitha in the background, a hand pressed against her forehead and her eyes clamped shut in pain; a light layer of sweat was gathering on her fair skin. The sight tugged at the long ignored strings of sympathy in River's heart. When Tabitha's green eyes opened and tears gathered at the corners, River knew it was time to leave. So, blowing a halfhearted kiss at the dying Doctor, she jumped.

"What's wrong with you?" Rory asked, worried. "What's she done to you?"

"Poisoned me... but I'm fine," the Doctor croaked. "Well, no, I'm dying. But I've got a plan."

"What plan?"

"Not dying. See, fine." The Doctor groaned as Rory and Amy helped him to his feet. Behind them, Tabitha collapsed onto one of the few chairs in the office, curling in on herself as her headache worsened and tears silently rolled down her face. Tabitha looked down at her hands for a moment and nearly screamed when she realized that she could faintly see the floor through the edges. Clenching her hands into fists, Tabitha bit back a grunt of pain as she focused on reversing the process. When she examined them again, they were opaque once again. _But for how long, I wonder, _she thought in dread. "Where's Tabitha?" she heard the Doctor ask frantically. "Tabitha?"

"I'm over here." She strained her voice to make it sound normal. As she wiped the sweat from her face, she stood. "We need to find River and get her to fix this," she told Amy and Rory. "But I don't know how we're going to catch up to her.

The Doctor passed Tabitha his sonic with a shaking hand. "Take this. The TARDIS can home in one her. Now, go! Get after her!" He pushed Rory and Amy towards the window, looking down and watching in apprehension as their daughter sauntered up to a group of soldiers with guns aimed at her; River stood there with a cool confidence. He made to push her away also, but Tabitha caught his hand and linked his with hers. "Tabitha, go with Amy and Rory. Please, I'm begging you." She could hear the unshed tears trying to push their way forward. "_Please._"

"And leave you by yourself? Not a chance."

The Doctor cupped her cheeks and forced her to stare into his manic gaze. He was just as scared as she was. "Tabitha, there is no one I trust more to find her than you. Amy and Rory may be River's parents, but they know nothing about this woman. I need you to find her. If the TARDIS can't home in on the sonic, then she'll follow you and get me wherever you are as quickly as possible; the sooner I get there, the sooner River can fix this. Please, do this for me." Silently, Tabitha nodded, and the Doctor smiled despite the pain. "Atta girl." Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to her. "I'm depending on you. If you can't save me, then no one can." After placing a lingering kiss her temple, pouring all his faith and trust into her with that one action, the Doctor lurched into the TARDIS.

Turning to the humans, her back straight with a determination Rory and Amy rarely saw in the gentle TARDIS child, Tabitha said, "Let's go." The three lowered themselves from the windowsill and clambered down the wall; it was slow-going, but they were making progress. Luckily for them, River was distracting the guards, making them enraged enough to ignore the three sneaking from the Fuhrer's office through the window. They ducked behind a stack of wooden crates, listening as River taunted the soldiers. In that time, Tabitha pressed the sonic into Amy's hand, giving the Scottish woman something else to clutch onto; her husband's hand had gone white with blood loss.

"What are you doing here?" one asked.

"Well, I was on my way to this gay, Gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled, when I suddenly thought, 'Gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish, I think I'll kill the Fuhrer.' Who's with me?"

"Shoot her."

"No," Rory gasped as the soldiers unloaded a barrage of bullets on River, hunched over with her arms around her stomach. But, when they ceased firing, River's head just snapped up, a psychotic smile on her face. The men looked at one another with a mixture of astonishment, bewilderment, and terror. Who was this woman? They had no time to find out, however, as River released a wave of regeneration energy that threw them backwards and knocked them unconscious. River laughed, pleased. She took two of their guns, climbed atop a motorcycle, and rode off, unaware of the eyes following her.

Amy could not take sitting and hiding anymore, and she rushed out. Rory caught her before the ginger could reach their psychopath of a daughter. Tabitha, however, remained behind, gripping her chest in pain. She faintly heard Amy cry out to River, but she did not hear her response. Instead, the blood rushed in her ears, her vision began to swim, and she started to lose all feeling in her fingertips as they slowly faded away. "You're not taking me back, that easily," Tabitha muttered to seemingly no one. She watched in exhausted satisfaction as they slowly re-materialized but still without feeling. This one, however, took more effort than the last, and Tabitha leaned against the crates, breathing heavily and eyes closed. "Why does this have to happen now?"

"Tabs?" a soft voice muttered. Her eyes opened to find Rory squatting beside her. His hands reached out to gently cradle her face. "Are you alright?"

"Just a bit lightheaded."

"You didn't get shot, did you?" His voice was harried and panicked, causing her to laugh.

"No, I'm fine." With Rory's help, she was able to stand on wobbling knees. He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her arm over his shoulder, despite her protests, and the two walked from behind the crates to where Amy stood beside a motorcycle with a sidecar and a number of German soldiers on the ground, unconscious. "River got away; we have to find her. Where did she say she was going, Amelia?"

"Shopping," was the ginger's terse response.

Rory sat upon the bike, and Amy sat behind him with her arms wound around him. Tabitha fell into the sidecar and tucked her knees into her chest. As they rode off, the wind was a welcome to Tabitha's damp skin. She sighed in relief as it cooled and her headache momentarily lessened with the breeze and fresh air. At this time, she wondered where the Doctor was and what he was doing. No doubt, he had returned to the TARDIS, but what then? He had nowhere to go until they found River and nothing to do as the poison was slowly killing him off. Closing her eyes, Tabitha leaned back; she channeled the TARDIS, breaking through the psychic barriers, with much effort to touch the conscience within. _Mum, show him to me. Let me know that he's going to be alright._

_I can't promise the second one, _her mother responded automatically. _But I can give you the first. _She showed her daughter the dying Time Lord.

* * *

_The Doctor was leaning against the railing, a hand gripping his chest much like she had been earlier. The smoke had cleared, thanks to the extractor fans. "I'm shutting down. Going to need an interface. Voice interface. Come on, emergency." A hologram of him in his current attire appeared at his words. _

_"Voice interface enabled."_

_"Oh, no, no, no, no! Give me someone I like." The image shifted into a blonde woman: Rose Tyler. "Oh, thanks! Give me guilt!"_

_Now it was Martha Jones. "Also guilt!"_

_And, once again, it shifted. This time, to Donna Noble. "More guilt. Come on, there must be someone left in the universe I haven't screwed up yet." The Doctor closed his eyes as another, fresh wave of pain hit. His stifled the scream by biting down on his lip, but it did not stop the groan of pain. "There has to be someone... anyone. Just one person."_

_"Voice interface enabled," a distinct, feminine voice called. His eyes snapped open to find a hologram of Tabitha, dressed in her black jeans, too-big leather jacket, white trainers, and forest green shirt that brightened her lovely emerald green eyes. But, rather than seeing joy and caring in the eyes of the hologram, her face was impassive and apathetic with what was happening, unconcerned that he was writhing on the ground, each second that passing bringing him that much closer to death. Either way, having her there, but knowing she was not, tore at him and pained him more than the poison. If he had a ball in his hand, he would not have hesitated to throwing it at the hologram, breaking up the image. However, he needed the interface now, as much as he hated to admit it._

_"No! I said someone I like, not l-" He cut it off there, swallowing the next word. No matter how many times he pondered, sifted through his thoughts and feelings towards the TARDIS child that had quickly nestled into his hearts and would not be removed, the Doctor could not say it aloud. "Give me someone else. Anyone else. Not Tabitha. Not her." He had discovered what he truly felt for Tabitha long ago, after their incident in London with the shadow. And, seeing her everyday, it grew. But he refused to say it, accept it. The Doctor did not know how long Tabitha would last, as Idris perished almost immediately; so he did not want to fully embrace it, and then have her fade, just like all the others. "Please."_

_The Holo-Tabitha's eyes closed as she shortened, her dark hair grew out and turned flaming red, and her clothes became a red jacket over a white night gown. She was chubbier and her face rounder. When her eyes opened, they were hazel rather than green. Young Amelia Pond. "Voice interface enabled."_

_"Oh! Oh, Amelia Pond before I got it all wrong." His voice was sorrowful. Of course, the only person in the universe he had not screwed up yet would be the one who had never traveled with him. "My sweet, little Amelia."_

_"I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface."_

_"You are SO Scottish. How am I doing?"_

_"Your system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas tree. You will be dead in thirty-two minutes."_

_"Okay, so, basically better regenerate, that's what you're saying?" The thought of regenerating so soon made him frown, but, if it kept him alive, he would happily do it. Even if it meant having to watch Tabitha saunter through time and space with another man. It would still be him, technically, and they would could create so many new jokes between them. But no more adjusting his bowtie... running his fingers through his floppy hair... wearing a tweed jacket and braces... having the feel of Tabitha's hand in this one... "No, I have to regenerate."_

_"Regeneration disabled." And, just like that, Holo-Amelia Pond crushed all his hopes. "You will be dead in thirty-two minutes."_

_"Unless I'm cured, yeah?" the Doctor pressed, grasping at straws. He could not die here. He would not._

_"There is no cure. You will be dead in thirty-two minutes."_

_"Why do you keep saying that?"_

_"Because you will be dead in thirty-two minutes."_

_"You see, there you go again. Basically skipping thirty-one whole minutes when I'm absolutely fine; anything can happen in that time. Scottish, that's all I'm saying."_

_"You'll be fine for thirty-one minutes. You'll be dead in thirty-two minutes."_

_"Scotland's never conquered anywhere. Not even a Shetland. River needs me. She's only just beginning, I can't die now. I _won't _die now. You want to know why? Because Tabitha's out there with Amy and Rory. They are going to find Melody Pond or River Song or whatever the hell you want to call her and bring her here. She's the only one who did this, and she's the only one on who can undo it. And, even if she can't, Tabitha's not going to let me die. If I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in HER." He hissed through clenched teeth as another, but this time softer, pain coursed through his veins like fire. "She'll never let me down."_

_"You will not die now. You will die in thirty-two minutes."_

_"I'm going out in the first round. Ringing any bells?" The Doctor cried out in agony as one of his hearts suddenly stopped beating, and he fell facedown on the ground. His other heart racing, struggling to keep the body going and failing. "OK, need something for the pain now. Come on, Amelia. It's me. Please."_

_"I'm not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface."_

_"Amelia, listen to me... I can be brave for you but you have got to tell me how." Once again, the voice interface reminded him that she was not Amelia Pond, and each word was like a stab to his single working, feeling heart. Closing his head and allowing his head to land on the ground, the Doctor begged, tears squeezing out of the corners of his eyes. "Amelia... Amelia, please..." Silence passed. The Doctor could hear his remaining heart pounding away painfully in his chest. It was no use; he was going to die. He never thought it would end this way, by a simple kiss in Berlin, Germany. The Doctor had hoped for a more dramatic exit. However, when you have seen and experienced all of time and space and the most amazing things they had to offer... nothing could outdo that. So he supposed this is what he deserved, passing away in the quiet, alone with his TARDIS. In a way, the Doctor thought this was fitting._

_"Fish fingers and custard."_

_His eyes snapped open to stare at the impassive voice interface, and he smiled. Maybe there was some hope, after all. "What did you say? Fish fingers and custard! Oh, Amelia Pond. Fish fingers and custard!" the Doctor laughed. With a new determination, the Doctor hefted himself off the floor. "Fish... fingers... and... CUSTARD!" He activated the TARDIS. Nothing was going to stop him now. He grinned at the voice interface, who offered him a small smile in return before disintegrating into nothing._

* * *

In the sidecar, Tabitha opened her eyes and smiled. _Thank you, Mum._

"Are you alright, Tabby? You look a bit pale." Amy asked over the wind rushing passed them. She had looked down earlier to find the TARDIS child sleeping, but her brow was furrowed and her teeth clenched in immense pain. When the ginger had reached down to feel her forehead, she pulled away with a slightly damp hand from sweat. Her breathing had been shallow as well, as if she were sick. She had tried to alert Rory, but her husband could not stop to check. Finding River and saving the Doctor was their first priority. As horrible as it sounded, they did not have time to fret over Tabitha. "Are you getting sick?"

"Oh, Amelia Pond, you're always such a comfort," replied Tabitha just as Rory pulled up in front of a grand building. "I can see why the Doctor needs you so much."

"Okay, all of Berlin - how do we find her?" Rory demanded, exasperated.

"I don't know. Look for clues." Rory looked back at his wife in disbelief. Even Tabitha had to raise an eyebrow at the ginger's 'solution.' "What?"

"CLUES?" Rory snapped back, mocking her Scottish accent. "What clues?" Amy slapped him on the chest. She made to argue back, but a scream drew their attention to the building they had just stopped in front of. The doors flew open, the guards standing outside jumped back, and a swell of men and women garbed in nothing but their undergarments streaked from the building, hurriedly searching for someplace to hide their indecency. "I guess that that'd be a pretty good clue."

Tabitha's attention was not on the wave of practically naked people. Her green eyes widened as a motorcycle slowed to a stop next to them, carrying a duplicate of Amelia Pond. "Amelia, Rory, you two may want to see this." She did not need to turn her head to know that they had seen Amelia II as well. "Who is that?" Neither human could only watched in stunned silence as Amelia II opened her mouth, and a sort of beam shot out of it, hitting Amy and Rory. When the light dissipated, they were gone, and Amelia II was striding purposefully toward the building. "No!

/~/~/~/~/~/

Inside the robot, or Tesselecta, the crew of the ship grinned as Amelia and Rory Williams were miniaturized and brought aboard the ship. One woman, however, kept her eyes on the screens allowing them to view the outside world. Where the two humans had just been, another female sat, staring up at the robot. Her fair skin was pale and damp with sweat, her eyes were fearful, and the woman thought she could barely see the building behind her through the edges of her body. "Sir, what about the other girl? Who is she?"

The captain turned and examined the woman with an emotionless stare. "Is there anything on her in the Doctor's files?"

"No, sir."

He shrugged. The captain knew of the Doctor and his fondness for humans, but the dark-haired woman was not on file as one of the Time Lord's companions. In fact, there was nothing on her at all. The captain made a mental reminder to run her image through the database at a later date. "Then she's no use to us. Just leave her. Besides, we have a criminal to catch." The captain returned to his seat with a chorus of _'Yes, sir'_ following him. Lowering himself into his chair, he leaned lazily on his arm, the picture of disinterest. But his mind was racing. Half was positively buzzing with excitement at the fact that they were about the catch the woman who killed, or would kill, the Doctor. The other half focused on one question: Who _was that woman? _

_/~/~/~/~/~/_

Using the sidecar and the motorcycle as support, Tabitha hoisted herself from the sidecar, only to flop facedown onto the street. Unlike most, she did not hiss in pain as she had already lost most feeling in her face. Not without effort, Tabitha forced herself into a sitting position and leaned against the motorcycle. Pressing a trembling hand against her check, Tabitha was not surprised to see blood on it when she pulled away; however, she could not feel its stickiness or its warmth on her palm. If she were not so drained and in agony, she would have noticed that she could the beginnings of the street through her legs. But she could hardly focus on anything at the moment.

"I can't stop now, Mum" Tabitha pleaded aloud, knowing her mother would be able to hear her no matter how far apart they were. "The Doctor's counting on me. He's trusting me. Give me twenty minutes, half an hour, please." Without waiting for a response, Tabitha slowly got to her feet and staggered into the building.


	26. Let's Kill Hitler 3

**I solemnly swear that I do not own Doctor Who.**

**One time, I tricked my friend into swinging a baseball bat at a bee hive. Luckily, he's a fast runner. Here's Chapter Twenty-Five!**

**Let me tell you right now, I could not stand writing this adventure. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get it to the point where I actually liked it. So I settled for one that made the most sense, at least from my perspective. From reading this adventure, my feelings towards it may have been obvious, and I apologize if it was absolutely horrible. From now on (hopefully), the adventures will be a bit better.**

* * *

When Tabitha fell against the wall in the restaurant, a hand grasping at her chest as if to rip her pounding, racing, burning heart (or hearts) from her chest, her attention was split between the agonizing pain and the group before her: Melody Pond/River Song, the robot Amelia that had made Amy and Rory disappear, and the Doctor dressed in fancy garb and leaning nonchalantly against the TARDIS. Tabitha tried to smile at the sight of him calm, cool, and collected, but it came out as more of a grimace as another, more fierce wave of torment coursed through her. Despite everything, the Doctor was still dying. Grunting, Tabitha pushed herself off the wall and slowly advanced towards the three on wavering legs.

"You're dying," River began slowly, speaking to the Doctor, "and you stopped to change?"

Grinning, the Doctor spun around, leaning against his cane. As he walked towards River and the robot, still having not seen Tabitha in the background and twirling his cane, his attention entirely on his so-called bespoke psychopath, he said, "Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any. Time is not the boss of you - Rule 408." The Doctor swaggered down the stairs and faced the Robot Amelia. "Amelia Pond, judgment death machine. Why am I not surprised?" He held up his cane, and it metal sphere on top broke away into four triangular pieces, much like his screwdriver. "Sonic cane!"

"Are you serious?" The man was dying, and he had the audacity to waste time! In all her years, River had never met someone as eccentric as the Doctor.

River jumped as a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Grasping the offender's wrist, River made to bend it until it snapped, but Tabitha's tortured, glistening-with-tears, emerald eyes looked up at her. For a moment, all of River's training to be a murderer and psychopath vanished. She helped the TARDIS child into a chair and gently pushed her head down until it was resting on the white tablecloth, gingerly stroking her hair at the same time. As River listened to Tabitha's shallow breathing and allowed the girl to slip into sweet unconsciousness, she noticed that she could see the table faintly _through _Tabitha's head. Although she did not know what was causing the woman to fade into oblivion, River could not help but wonder if it was connected to the Doctor dying in anyway. Nervous, she turned her gaze back to the Time Lord, who was examining the readings he received from the robot.

"Oh! It's a robot with 423 life signs inside. A robot worked by tiny people. Love it! But how do you all get in there, though? Bigger on the inside? No, basic miniaturization sustained by a compression field. Oh, watch what you eat, it'll get you every time. Amy, if you and Rory are okay, signal me."

Inside the robot, Amy switched on the sonic, allowing the Doctor's sonic cane to pick up its output. "Thanking you." Crying out in sudden pain, the Doctor lost control of his legs, falling to the ground and only held up by his cane. River looked back at Tabitha and her face, which was scrunched up in suffering. Right before River's eyes, the TARDIS child faded even more until she could see right through her edges. Behind her, the Doctor tried to play off his moment by saying, "Oops, sorry, leg went to sleep. Just had a quick left leg power nap, I forgot I had one scheduled. Actually, better sit down, I think I heard the right one yawning," as he lowered himself onto the dais steps.

This was all too much, and River ran for the door. However, the robot flashed a blue beam emanating from her mouth onto her, halting the woman in her tracks.

"Don't you touch her! Do not harm her in any way." The light faded, but River was caught in a containment field. She could not move.

"Why would you care?" the robot Amy asked. "She's the woman who kills you."

"He's not dead," a strained voice said before the Doctor could reply. All eyes in the room turned towards Tabitha as she lifted her head off the table, now whole but unable to move beyond that. Fighting against the ache in her chest and her head, Tabitha smiled at the Doctor before turning back to the robot. "He may be dying, but he's certainly not dead. He won't die; I won't let him." She fell back down onto the table, spent. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she did not see the Doctor's eyes scanning her body, looking for a wound. Tabitha had promised him that she had not been shot or injured in any way, but now, seeing her so weak, he could not help but wonder. Oh, how wrong he was.

"I will ask once more - why would you care? You're dying, and Melody Pond is the woman who kills you," the robot demanded, ignoring Tabitha.

"Well, at least I'm not a time-travelling shape-shifting robot operated by miniaturized cross people, which, I have got to admit, I didn't see coming." Finally, after Tabitha waved her hand at him in an '_I'm fine'_ gesture, the Doctor shifted his gaze and the tip of his cane towards River. "What do you want with her?" The robot repeated that she was, indeed, Melody Pond, the Doctor's murderer. "I'm the Doctor. So what's it got to do with you?" He smiled, but it was cold and chilling.

The robot Amelia paused. If it had been the real ginger, her face would have scrunched up in thought while the Doctor waited patiently. But the robot's face was emotionless, staring down at the dying Time Lord. At last, the miniature people inside of the robot responded and spoke with Amy's voice. "Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes. Time travel has... responsibilities."

"What? You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?" the Doctor mocked with a laugh.

"We don't kill them. We extract them near the end of their established timelines."

"And then what?"

"Give them hell." The Doctor's smile faded at that.

"Where are Amelia and Rory?" Tabitha slurred suddenly from her spot. Her face was pressed against one of the plates, the ceramic refreshing her damp, hot skin. "I saw you take them... Outside, you shot them with some sort of light and they disappeared. What did you do with them? Are they safe?" Groaning, Tabitha pushed herself to her feet and swayed towards the robot until she stood right before them. In the robot's reflective eyes, her own green, bloodshot ones stared back at her. "If you've hurt them in any way, every single one of you will personally answer to me." Tabitha stumbled back, a hand grasping her head, yet she managed to growl out, "Are. Amelia and Rory Williams. Safe?"

"We do not need to answer to you," the robot said.

"Now, I'd ask who you think you are," the Doctor continued angrily. He was dying, the tiny, angry people wanted to kill River, Amy and Rory were trapped inside the robot, and something was seriously wrong with Tabitha. Combined, it mad for a very tense Time Lord, "but I think the answer is pretty obvious. Answer her, and then answer this: Who do you think I am?" He pointed his cane at Melody Pond/River Song, who was still in the containment field. "'The woman who killed the Doctor.' It sounds like you've got my biography in there. I'd love a peek."

"Our records office is sealed to the public. Foreknowledge is dangerous." The robot turned to look down at Tabitha; the woman had fallen to her backside and was swaying back and forth on the ground, about to collapse at any moment. "And your friends are unharmed, ma'am."

"Good. Wonderful, in fact," Tabitha sighed before, eyes rolling into the back of her head, she fell backwards, unconscious, her head hitting the polished marble floor with a resounding thud. The Doctor tried to stumble towards her, but the cane slipped out from under him and went spiraling away down the stars as he struggled to get to his feet. Possessing no control over his legs, the Doctor could only watch her in growing terror as she did not move again. From his position, he could hardly see her chest rising and falling. Although his final working heart was already racing faster than it ever had, it skipped a few beats when he realized that Tabitha would not be getting up any time soon... he only hoped she would awaken later, but something told him that that was a fool's hope. His hands, which were still useable, wrung the white silk scarf around his neck.

"Well, I'll be dead in three minutes," the Doctor said in a grave tone, accepting his fate more coolly than he thought he would. Tabitha had not failed him, and yet he was still going to die. If anything, he had failed her. He had vowed to himself to keep her safe, and she was certainly not safe. "There isn't much foreknowledge left."

"Sorry, can't do that." Suddenly, the robot paused, and silence settled over the room, the only sound being River's groans of discomfort from the containment field. Tabitha was still on the ground and still had not moved an inch. Using his arms, the Doctor pulled himself over to Tabitha, grabbing his cane along the way, until he could lean over her. He reached out and placed it under her nose, desperately wishing to feel warm air on his fingers. A moment passed where he felt nothing, and then another, and his fear turned into panic and then horror. He was fully prepared to slap her awake when the Doctor felt a faint puff of air on his fingers. Sighing in relief, the Doctor delicately stroked Tabitha's hair. She was barely alive, of that much he was certain. But what was wrong with her? Had she lied to him when he asked if she had been shot? However, there was absolutely no wound that he could see. "Records available."

With great effort, the Doctor stood with the use of his cane and hissed through clenched teeth, "Question: I'm dying... who wants me dead?"

"The Silence."

"What is the Silence? Why is it called that? What does it mean?"

"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order, or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked."

"What question?" The Doctor has asked and answered many, _many_ questions in his lifetime, and silence had never 'fallen' whenever someone asked a question. Well, there was always one that he could never answer, one that always seemed to find itself out in the open every once in a while... _but that can't be it. Can it?_

"The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight."

"Yes, but what is the question?"

"Unknown."

"Well, fat lot of use that is, you big ginge! Call yourself a Records... Argh!" The Doctor fell the floor beside Tabitha, writhing on the cool marble that seemed to feel like the coldest ice against his sweating skin, burning with an internal fire. However, ever the optimist, he tried to take light of the situation by adding, "Kidneys are always the first to quit. I've had better, you know." As the Doctor continued to pant in exhaustion - he knew he was finished; there was no denying it - the blue light around Melody turned a vicious red, like the flames of a raging inferno, and she screamed out in intense agony, almost matching the Doctor's with each failing organ. Eyes widened in shock, the Doctor tried to pull himself across the ground towards River, to no avail. He was simply too weak. "Amy! Rory! Amy, can you hear me?"

"What do we do?" the robot asked. In contrast to its prior conversation with the Doctor, the voice that spoke was harried and terrified, despite the face remaining impassive. Finally, the voice matched the person. It was Amelia Pond. "This is me. This is actually me, talking. Doctor, what do we do?" Tears sprang to her eyes at the sound of her daughter's cries of torment. Melody may be the woman who killed the Doctor, but she was still her daughter.

"Just stop them. She's your daughter, just stop them."

"How, how? HOW?"

"Just do it!"

Amy did not respond, and so the Doctor continued looking on as River convulsed. All the while, there was a question that came back to his mind that he could not help but agree with - _what good are you? _Amy had demanded of him once while kneeling next to a pile of ash that had once been Rory, and he could not answer then. Now, he was asking himself the same. What good was he when he could not save anyone? The Doctor glanced back at Tabitha for a moment. To his horror, her chest had stopped moving. She was dead. Peculiarly enough, he could begin to see the blue of the TARDIS though her stomach lay in his line of sight. For some reason or another, Tabitha was fading away, and it was all his fault.

The Doctor turned back to River. He had not saved her, just as he had promised Amy and Rory. Madame Kovarian, the eye patch woman, had won and taken her away, raising her to become a psychopath. Now, just when she had truly begun, just when River Song was about to make her mark upon the whole of time and space and wipe her slate clean, she was in unbearable agony, about to be killed, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Amy had been right. What was the point of him?

Just as he was ready to drop his head and give up, the light around River disappeared, and she fell forward, bent over and back heaving as she gasped for air. But her head slowly lifted when the Doctor began to speak, one final chance at doing something right. "Please, now we have to save your parents. Don't run. Now, I know you're scared, but never run when you're scared. Rule 7." Her eyes snapped from the Doctor to the robot version of her mother. "Please."

For a brief moment, Melody's eyes shifted to Tabitha lying motionless on the ground. She could tell that the woman was already dead. It was amazing, River thought. Tabitha had been so determined and vivacious, full of life. She had stood up to her when a gun was aimed at her. Nothing seemed to faze the green-eyed woman. Now, seeing her vanishing body, River could not help but reflect on how fragile the woman looked. And, in that moment, her mind was made up, but how could she go through with it when it went against everything she has known? Waiting, wondering how everything would turn out, Melody silent lowered herself onto the nearest chair.

"Doctor, can you help us? Doctor? Doctor, help us!" the robot suddenly pleaded, breaking the tension in the air. The Doctor, hearing Amy begging, pushed himself to his feet with great difficulty and headed for the TARDIS, the only thing that could save his closest friends now. But, just as he was sure he was going to make it, his body betrayed him. The Doctor fell upon the steps leading up to the dais. There was no energy left in him. So he remained there, forcing back tears. "Doctor, help!"

"Look at you," Melody whispered in awe from her perch. "You still care. It's impressive, I'll give you that."

"River, please.."

Melody lifted herself from the seat and made her way over to the dying Doctor, stepping over Tabitha's prone form. "Again? Who is this River? She's got to be a woman, am I right?"

Stretching desperately for the TARDIS, the Doctor said, "Help me. Save Amy and Rory. Help me."

"Tell me about her. Go on."

"AAARGH... just..." His voice trailed off as his heart slowed and his lungs weakened. "...help me." Finally spent, his body dropped onto the stairs, unable to move other than blink.

"Alright," River responded after a moment of silence. She stalked over to the Doctor and flipped him over so he could stare at the ceiling before sprinting into the TARDIS. The time machine's signature wheezing echoed throughout the room as it dematerialized, leaving the barely living Doctor and the deceased, vanishing Tabitha alone. As his mind raced, the Doctor suddenly laughed; it was hollow and sorrowful.

"Who would have thought we'd die like this, Tabitha?" he asked the air, hoping to ease the grim atmosphere. "Me... because of a kiss. And you because of a gun wound (I think)... why didn't you just tell me you had been hurt when I asked? It would have made things easier for the both of us in the end. I'd still be dying, but at least you would have lived. Maybe the TARDIS would-" the Doctor cringed, "-have let you pilot her. Flying through time and space as the first and last of the children of the TARDIS. For some reason, I think you would have liked that." When he spoke next, they were heavy with unshed tears. "I would have taken you everywhere, anywhere you wanted to go. But, knowing your Mum, we would have ended in the middle of a Sycorax battle ship, or Southern Pacifica or the Northern Alliance during World War VI. Tabitha, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry... I suppose, though, there's one thing left to say even thought you can't hear me. I need to get this out. Tabitha, I-"

The Doctor had not heard the TARDIS reappear, but, the next thing his knew, Amy was by his side and hovering over him, her hands wrapped firmly around on of his; Rory, upon seeing Tabitha on the ground, knelt by her immediately, searching in vain for any signs of life. "You can't die now. I know you don't die now," the ginger told him, cutting off what he would have revealed to the motionless TARDIS child and eliciting a laugh from the Time Lord.

"Oh, Pond! You've got a schedule for everything."

"But it doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Rory called. Unlike the Time Lord, he let his tears flow freely, and Rory wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Tabs is dead." Grabbing her limp hand, Rory kissed the back of it before joining her wife. "Doctor, what do we do? Come on. How do we help you?"

"No, sorry, Rory. You can't. Nobody can. Ponds, listen to me, I need to talk to your daughter." Amy and Rory reluctantly pulled away to switch places with Melody, who had stood off behind them and watched as the scene unfolded before her eyes. She got to her knees beside him and took his hand, much like her mother had. "Find her. Find River Song and tell her something from me." Knowing he had very little time left, the Doctor tugged on her jacket until her ear was by his mouth, and he whispered to her. When she pulled away, the Doctor was unconscious. Dead.

"Who's River Song?" Melody asked her parents, almost dreading the answer.

Rory nodded to his wife. Melody deserved to know the truth. So Amy turned to face her robot counterpart and, in a quavering voice, demanded, "Are you still working? Because I'm still a relative. Access files on River Song. Show me her. Show me River Song." Agonizingly slowly, the robot transformed from Amelia Pond into a mirror image of Melody Pond. Her mouth open in shock, tears streamed down Melody's face. "Melody, what did he say? The Doctor gave you a message for River Song. What was it?"

Melody looked down at her hands as they began to glow golden with regeneration energy, and she approached the Doctor. Amy tried to call her back, but River did not listen. "Just tell me. The Doctor, is he worth it?" Amy and Rory nodded, mute. "And the girl, Tabitha. She's connected to the Doctor, isn't she? Is she worth it?" Melody sat on the stair next to the Doctor's head, listening for the inevitable response.

"Yes," Amy breathed. "Yes, they are."

Melody placed her hands on either side of the Doctor's face, and he gasped awake. "River! No! What are you doing?"

"Hello, sweetie." She kissed his forehead, allowing the regenerative energy to spill through her and into him.

Behind them, Tabitha violently sat up, sucking deeply for air, heart racing and eyes wide. Rory was at her side in an instant, helping Tabitha get to her feet. Leaning heavily on him, she clutched onto his jacket and asked, "Rory, where am I? What's happened?" If possible, her green eyes widened more until Rory was afraid they would tumble out of her skull. "The Doctor. Rory, what's happened to the Doctor? Please, tell me he's fine." Rory could see the beginning of tears forming in her green orbs. But, rather than answer her, he gathered her into her arms, giving her a crushing hug, which she hesitantly returned. "Rory, are you alright?"

Pushing her back by her shoulder, his watery smile brought one to her face. "You just died, and you're asking me if I'm alright?" She nodded. "You're mad."

"Tabby!" squealed the Scottish woman in delight before Amy yanked Tabitha into a hug. "I've never been so happy to see someone up and about in my entire life."

"You're not the only one." Tabitha and Amy swayed on the spot in their hug, thrilled that the other was well. "But what's happened to the Doctor?"

"I believe I can answer that," a dry, yet confident, voice stated. Tabitha turned to find the Doctor leaning against his cane, his face pale but drawn into the largest grin she had ever seen. Despite the fact that they had both just returned from death, Tabitha could not resist flinging herself into his arms, sending them both crashing to the ground. His laugh, rich and resonant, wrapped around her like a thick blanket on a winter's night. Tabitha did not care that Amy and Rory were there with stupid smiles on their face. The fact that Melody Pond stood behind the Doctor completely fled from her mind. All that existed at that moment was the incredible blue of the Doctor's eyes, his arms wound tightly around her, and the sound of his twin hearts pumping erratically in his chest. _Then again, _Tabitha thought, _what else matters?_

* * *

After leaving River in the hands of the Sisters of the Infinite Schism, the greatest hospital in the universe, with nothing but a promise and a journal, Amy and Rory had retired to their room. As for the Doctor, he had been the first to stumble from the control room, wishing the three a good night over his shoulder. After the day he had, Tabitha believed that he deserved a long, unbothered rest. With the humans and the Time Lord gone, Tabitha knelt before the console and pressed one hand against the machine. It hummed and vibrated with warmth and power that reached out to Tabitha, replenishing her after dying and coming back. With her new energy, Tabitha closed her eyes, broke passed the TARDIS's psychic barriers, and angrily pushed her way into her mother's mental was something Tabitha learned recently that she could do, during a sleepless night in the TARDIS. Whenever she did this, both Tabitha and her mother appeared to the other in a physical form, the latter commonly taking on the image of Idris...

_...They stood across each other in a black, shapeless room, arms crossed over their chests. 'Idris' rolled her eyes as Tabitha's hardened and narrowed into a glare. "Don't give me that look. You know exactly why I did it." When Tabitha did not answer, 'Idris' jumped into an explanation that only served to anger Tabitha more. The TARDIS child trembled with rage with every word that poured from her mother's lips. "Tabitha, we made a deal early on, and you know I'm not one to 'bend the rules.' You said-"_

_"I know what I said," Tabitha hissed, venom in her words. 'Idris' started; Tabitha had never spoken to her in such a tone. "But he wasn't dead yet."_

_"He was as good as."_

_"That's doesn't mean he died. Far from it, actually. I would understand if the Doctor had died. If that were the case, I would have come willingly. But you began pulling me back into the TARDIS before he had died, and that hurt. You don't know what could have happened in that time between River's kiss and his actual death." 'Idris' stifled her smirk as the brief flash of jealousy in Tabitha's emerald eyes when she mentioned the kiss between River and the Doctor. "If he had died the moment River kissed him, then I would understand that. What I can't comprehend is why you would try to take me back when you created me for the sole purpose of being the only companion that would never leave him. You told me yourself that he always need someone to be with him and protect him. So why force me to leave him at all?"_

_"He doesn't need a companion if he's dead," her mother snapped back. "Or, as we agreed to, if he stops being the Doctor. Only 'the Doctor' needs companions. A Time Lord in a TARDIS doesn't." At the anger radiating off her daughter - the tension in her shoulders, the burning in her eyes - 'Idris' sighed and softened her voice. "Also, I've been having doubts. I'm regretting this decision."_

_"What decision?"_

_"Allowing you to become human." Tabitha fell silent, shocked, and her mother took that chance to explain herself. "I've told you a number of times that we have no clue if you can regenerate, and I don't want to have to learn that the hard way. I'm scared that one day the Doctor is going to get you into trouble that even he can't save you from. You'd get hurt and then... then..." Her voice broke, and she turned away, covering her mouth and squeezing her eyes shut against the tears. Tabitha came up and took the hand that 'Idris' had wrapped around her own waist, as if it were the only thing holding her together. "What happens if you can't regenerate? Or return to the TARDIS if you're killed? I can't help you if that happens. I don't want to lose you, dear."_

_"I'm more alien than human, Mum. It's more than likely that I can regenerate," Tabitha reminded her softly. "Besides, it's never going to happen. If the Doctor can't save me, I'll save myself." She turned her mother around and wrapped her arms around her in a comforting hug. "I'm not a little girl. You can count on me to take care of myself... and the Doctor. Because we both know he needs someone to watch after him. You made me to not only to take care of him, but to protect him as well. Trust me."_

_"I know," 'Idris' mumbled into Tabitha's shoulder. When she pulled away, her dark eyes were aglow with a mischief Tabitha usually saw in the Doctor's. "Now I have a question to ask you, and, as a mother, I expect you to answer truthfully: do you love him? Because, if you do, it's a bit obvious." A grin lit up her face when Tabitha flushed and turned away, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and wringing her hands. That was answer enough. "You do! I knew it! When did this happen, though?"_

_"After 900 years of time and space, it's hard not to," replied Tabitha, her voice full of emotion. "I guess I always have. Being part human has just helped me realize it. At least, I think I love him... is this what this warm feeling is in my stomach? It gets stronger whenever he's around, and when he's gone it makes me constantly worry about him. Is that love?" Grinning, her mother nodded. "Then I guess I do love him... I love the Doctor." The words felt right on her tongue, and Tabitha could not help but laugh._

_"Are you going to tell him?"_

_"No."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Do you really expect me to answer that?" 'Idris' nodded frantically, and Tabitha rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Fine. Well, I remember a lot of things from the Doctor's female companions, and nearly every one of them fell in love with him. They never told him, though; and, I supposed, it's for the same reason I won't ever tell him: I don't want to ruin what relationship we have now. He's become my best friend, with Rory coming in at a close second, but that's another story entirely. I'd rather keep the Doctor as my friend forever, then take a chance and tell him the truth. Besides, I doubt he'd feel the same." 'Idris' smiled, a sort of I-know-something-you-don't-know-smile. "What?"_

_Her mother placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders and gave them squeeze. "I forget sometimes that you're still a child. It's easy for you to miss some things."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You'll find out one day. I should know. I see everything." The TARDIS leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead before saying, "Why don't you go and get some sleep. You have a busy day ahead of you. Goodnight, Tabitha." Before Tabitha had a chance to respond, her mother vanished..._

_..._and Tabitha woke with a sharp gasp. Her eyes found a pair of grey ones hovering over her, looking down in concern. As she sat up, Rory knelt down beside her and began his routine check for a concussion. It was not until Tabitha jokingly slapped his hands away did he stand, pulling her to her feet at the same time. She picked up her leather jacket, which she had used as a blanket to sit on while speaking to her mother, and pushed her arms through the sleeves. "Rory, I thought you and Amy went to sleep already. What are you doing here?"

Unlike before, where he would have stammered and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, Rory stared straight into her eyes. "There's been something bothering me, and I wanted to wait until Amy fell asleep before I came to you. Tabs, what happened today? You were fading right before our eyes. I don't mean dying; you were literally _vanishing _into thin air. I want an explanation, and I want it now... Please." Tabitha snorted with laughter. Despite his tough act, Rory would always be the innocent, well-mannered human she had come to adore.

"It's a long story."

"We're in a time machine. 'Long' is relative."

She giggled. "Alright then, Rory. Sit down." They sat side-by-side on the bottom step of the translucent stairs that would lead them out of the control room and into the TARDIS corridors. "What you, or Amy, or the Doctor do know is that I was created to be another companion for the Doctor. Only with one large difference: I can't leave. Not that'd I want to, though. But you and Amy have lives, family, friends, and jobs to return to. You two could forget that any of this-" She gestured to the room with an airy hand. "-ever happened. With me, I'm here for life, no matter how long that may be. I'm going to stay with the Doctor forever, and I was made for that very purpose. His best friend and protector until the end of his days. As ridiculous as that sounds..." She trailed off. Rory noticed her wringing hands, which were resting in his lap. If it were Amy, he would have taken her hands in his own and kissed the back of them. However, this was not Amy, and he remembered how defensive the Doctor could be of Tabitha. He settled for patting her shoulder and smiling encouragingly at her.

"What you're saying is that you're stuck here." Tabitha nodded. "That still doesn't explain how or why you were disappearing today."

"Well, Mum and I made a deal. It took a lot of arguing to let her allow me to take on a human form. She knew he needed someone, but why would she let a part of herself travel with the Doctor knowing how dangerous it is? I could get hurt or worse. Once I did convince her, we had to come to some sort of understanding. Here are the terms: if the Doctor died or quit being the Doctor, then she would pull me back into the Heart of the TARDIS. After that, there's no chance of me being human again. I can stay human for as long as I want as long as the Doctor keeps me safe."

"So when the Doctor was poisoned..."

"Mum didn't know which future would happen, whether he'd live or die. To play it safe, she decided to take me back early." The last word was ground out with an anger that startled Rory. Never had Tabitha been so cross.

"But you said that if he died-"

"Yes, _died! _Not almost died. Died - past tense. She broke her promise and tried to make me return sooner than we agreed to. I don't know _why _she thought I'd be fine with that, because I'm not!" Tabitha huffed and pouted, arms crossing over her chest. When she realized that she had just ranted, albeit for a short time, she flushed and chuckled. "Sorry, Rory. I guess I got a bit carried away."

"You know, Tabs, you could pass off as a normal, proper human if you weren't so... weird. No offense." The two shared a laugh but silenced quickly when they remembered that both Amy and the Doctor were sleeping. "Well, Tabs, that was quite the story. Thank you for telling me." Rory stood, stretched, and made to leave the room when Tabitha held him back with a hand clamped on his wrist. He looked back and saw the pleading in her eyes. Her request was obvious. "Don't tell Amy, right?" She nodded, but there was more to it. "Or the Doctor?" Again, Tabitha nodded.

"I'd appreciate it."

"Of course. It'll be our secret. Goodnight, Tabs." Rory patted her hand before departing to his and his wife's room. Alone, Tabitha leaned back against the stairs, closed her eyes, and laced her fingers over her stomach. With the conversation she had had with her mother, Tabitha could feel the energy from the Heart of the TARDIS and the Time Vortex coursing through her veins, and she had no incentive to sleep. So Tabitha remained in the control room, mentally speaking with her mother, not knowing that the Doctor was watching her from the shadows. He had awoken when Rory walked by his room in the human's search for Tabitha, followed Rory, and listened entirely to his and Tabitha's conversation. It had been hard to keep silent when Tabitha told him _why _she had been created and even harder when she had asked Rory to keep it a secret. Now, the Doctor wanted to sit by her, talk to her about what he had heard. But he stopped himself. She would not be mad or even slightly disappointed at his eavesdropping. She would understand and playfully chastise him about listening in. However, it was her secret.

"She'll tell me when she's ready," the Doctor told himself before silently returning to his room, leaving Tabitha in peace.


	27. Night Terrors 1

**.ohW rotcoD nwo ton od I - I do not own Doctor Who.**

**I have never gotten the hang of chopsticks. While I'm trying, hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Six :)**

**PS: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited. You guys are the driving force for this story (so, if you want it to die, you know what to do) :P You are all wonderful, and I love you... but in an entirely platonic, I-have-no-clue-who-you-are sort of way.**

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Tabitha, who had been watching Rory and Amy be 'all mushy and gushy and _gross_' (According to the Doctor, at least. Tabitha rather enjoyed seeing the humans love on one another. She thought it was precious.), jumped when the Doctor yelped. She giggled behind her hand as he slapped at one of his pockets as if putting out a fire. Shoving his hand into the pocket, the Doctor brought out the worn leather wallet that held the psychic paper with his thumb and pointer finger. He winced and nearly dropped it but managed to open the wallet and read the message sent to him. "Please save me from the monsters." Grinning, the Time Lord tucked the psychic paper back into his wallet, set coordinates, and pulled the lever that sent them flying unsteadily through the Vortex. Rory and Tabitha held on with all their might, while Amy clung to her husband. "Haven't done this in a while!"

"Done what?" Amy asked. "What's he doing, Tabitha?" Tabitha started at that. Amy had never asked her a question that the Doctor could answer until now. It was both surprising and somewhat heartwarming, knowing that the Scottish woman trusted her just as much as she trusted the Doctor. Then again, Tabitha would not be willing to throw them all into danger just for a bit of fun. "Tabby?"

"Making a house call." The TARDIS jumped and her inhabitants along with it. When she settled, Rory was the first one out, followed by Amy. The Doctor offered Tabitha a hand before strolling out the front doors. As she closed and locked the doors behind them, she almost laughed at Rory's less than pleased expression towards their location. Indeed, it was not much to look at: the dingy, musty, filthy yard of an estate. The Council Estate, Tabitha read from a gritty plaque. The deep shadows of the night did nothing to boost its already dim appeal. But, when traveling with the Doctor, there was always something interesting and wonderful and definitely life-threatening to be found. She could already feel it, that icy trickle of apprehension that ran down her spine. Was it bad that she enjoyed the feeling?

"No offence, Doctor..." Rory began.

"Meaning the opposite," the Time Lord responded. He was not really paying attention, as he was trying to reach his sonic screwdriver with the hand that held Tabitha's and failing miserably. Smiling, she gently pulled her hand from his, unaware of his pout, and fetched it for him. When she did not take his hand again, the Doctor's mood dampened, and he occupied his hand instead with flipping his sonic through his fingers. Behind him, Rory and Amy grinned knowingly at one another, despite either of them not really knowing anything.

"...but we could get a bus somewhere like this."

"The exact opposite."

"Well, I suppose it can't all be planets and history and stuff, Rory," Amy told her husband, but her voice was just as let down as Rory's was.

"Where's the fun in that?" questioned Tabitha. She skipped over to the humans, her usual cheerful self. "History and alien planets may be cool, but the present is where everything is happening. You never know what's going to happen next. So why would you want to miss something like that? With history, you can read it in any old book. Living it is like seeing those 4-D movies Rory promised to take me to some day, and alien planets are like finding something spectacular that you've never seen before. Or, even better, learning something new. At least, that's what I think. Personally, I find nothing more interesting than humans and their day-to-day lives. At this moment, we are going to see that first hand by going to one of the scariest places on the planet."

"Where?"

"A child's bedroom," the Doctor finished for her. "Come on." He led them from the yard, sonic pointed at one of the darkened windows of the estate. The Scottish woman took Tabitha's place by the Doctor's side, leaving Rory to happily talk to Tabitha. Ever since he had found Tabitha lying unconscious on the control room floor after their stint in Berlin, Rory and Tabitha had formed a close bond that left the human almost giddy to think about. Where his wife had the last of the Time Lords, he had the first and only of the TARDIS children. No one else could say that. Grinning like a fool, he threw an arm over Tabitha's shoulders and tugged her gently closer to his side until she could do the same. From a third person's point of view, they would see a pair of siblings trailing behind a man with a bowtie and a woman with fiery hair.

Soon, the four surrounded the door to the lift, talking about the message the Doctor had received. He flipped the wallet open, and Rory read it aloud from beside the Doctor. "'Please save me from the monsters.' Who sent that? it sounds like something a kid would say." Closing the wallet, the Doctor slapped Rory on the head with it. Tabitha reached over and lightly smacked the Doctor's arm, mentally scolding him for his actions. Discreetly and oh so maturely, he stuck out his tongue at her before responding with, "Exactly. A kid. A very scared kid. So scared that somehow its cry for help got through to us. In the TARDIS. And I've traced it here." The lift dinged, signaling its arrival. "Ah! Going up." Pulling Tabitha away from Rory and nudging the centurion towards his ginger wife, Amy, Rory, the Doctor, and Tabitha all crowded into the rickety, metal lift.

While the lift rattled on the way up to their destination, Amy and Rory returned to being sweet to one another. Rory whispered loving words into the Scottish woman's ear, and Amy giggled before nuzzling closer to the Centurion. At the sight of them, the Doctor gagged. Like earlier, Tabitha simply smiled at them before turning away and giving them their privacy. Noticing the Doctor's disgusted face, Tabitha slipped her hand through his to capture his attention. It worked, and his eyes locked onto hers. To diffuse the tension, they spent the duration of the time making silly faces at one another and having a staring contest, each trying their hardest to make the other blink. Unsurprisingly, Tabitha won nearly every round.

The lift dinged once more after what felt like seconds later, and the door slid open into the cool, night air. Tabitha danced out, and Amy and Rory pushed passed the Doctor to get out of the claustrophobic lift. The Doctor followed his companions and his best friend out of the lift and began searching for the correct flat. Unfortunately, they were all identical. "This is going to be harder than I thought." Spinning around, he face the group. "Alright, I know that it is somewhere on this floor. All we have to do is find it. So Rory, you go one way. Amy, you go another. Tabitha, you-"

"Go with Amy," Rory cut in. "I do not want my wife walking around her on her own. That way you two can keep each other safe."

"I couldn't agree more," said Amy, lacing her arm through Tabitha's and starting to drag her away. "Come on, Tabby. Later, boys." The boys then separated, and each group when about their tasks. Of course, things did not go according to plans. The Doctor was held up by a number of little, elderly women, most of them complaining about their aching joints. Rory, poor Rory, was as awkward as he was human when speaking to the people, especially one rather large man with an intimidating glare. Amy and Tabitha had a bit of an easier time, as most of the inhabitants of the estate found having a charming conversation with two kind, beautiful women a treat, even so late at night. With Amy's accent and Tabitha's wide, emerald eyes, it was hard to be rude to them, as many of the gentlemen found. However, by the time the four regrouped at the lift, they were no closer finding the child who had sent the enigmatic message.

"This is going well," Amy said. Rory rolled his eyes at the obvious statement, and Amy lifted a threatening eyebrow at him, giving him a moment to right his wrong. Smiling, the Centurion pulled her close and kissed her soundly on the lips. When the separated, four cheeks were a light shade of pink. "So, Doctor, Tabby, what are we going to do?"

"Maybe we should just let the monsters gobble him up," answered Rory teasingly, earning a smack to the chest from his wife. "Kidding!"

"Hm," the Doctor mused before turning to his companions. "Try the next floor down. Catch you later." He caught Tabitha's hand and pulled her along behind him as he separated from Amy and Rory. Tabitha waved them goodbye before the two turn around the corner, vanishing from the grinning humans' sight.

With Tabitha and the Doctor, she trailed after the Time Lord silently. He pulled his psychic paper out of his pocket and held it up, using it as a sensor to find where the message originated. They had passed a number of doors, and Tabitha was beginning to grow weary of the tedium when the Doctor hissed in pain and dropped the wallet. Confused, Tabitha knelt down and reached out for the psychic paper, but the heat rolling off of it forced her to use the sleeves of her too long leather jacket to pick it up. She slowly took two steps forward, then two steps back, and then two more steps back before taking a pair of steps forward again. She turned her gaze upward to find the Doctor standing at one of the many doors, positively beaming. "Found it."

While Tabitha stuffed the psychic paper into her pocket, the Doctor knocked on the door. A man opened it immediately. "Oh, right. That was quick," the man told them.

"Was it?"

"Claire said she'd phoned someone. Social Services."

"Yes, of course." The Doctor patted at his tweed jacket, searching for something that obviously was not there. It was only when Tabitha had flipped open the psychic paper and showed it to the man did the Doctor stop his frantic movements, embarrassingly adjusting his bowtie.

"Tabitha and John Smith, who is also known as the Doctor" she lied smoothly, which surprised the Doctor. He supposed it came from him... or the TARDIS... or the humans. "We work with Social Services, just as you said, and received your wife's call earlier today. May we come in, sir?" The man stepped to the side, allowing Tabitha and the Doctor to stroll into the flat. The Time Lord and the man talked about why they were there (she vaguely picked up that the man's name was Alex), and Tabitha poked around the flat. She smiled when she came upon a picture of the man with a woman by his side, probably the Claire he had mentioned. A boy was perched on the woman's hip, his head tucked in the curve of her neck and shoulder with his thumb between his lips. She ghosted her hand along the glass that protected the image, her fingers leaving no tracks in their wake. However, that smile faded when she came upon a photo album and began flipping through it. There were pictures of the man and Claire before their son and some with their son that followed his life up to his current age, obviously. But there was something wrong with it, something that Tabitha could not quite put her finger on. "Is this your son?" she asked aloud, already knowing the answer.

Coming up behind her, the man took the album from her hand. As he stared lovingly down at the picture, he said, "Yeah, George... Can you help him? The wife and I have tried everything. We've called every doctor, therapist, and nothing works. We don't know what to do." Alex threw himself into the sofa and dropped his face into his hands, the weight of his world on his shoulders. "I just don't know what to do..."

Slowly, Tabitha sat down next to him, wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders, and said kindly, "Tell us about George." The Doctor sat across from the two and took the photo album from Alex's hands. Resting it on his lap, he began glancing at the pictures, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Ever since he was born," began Alex in a broken voice, "he's been a funny kid." The Doctor jumped in immediately, saying that 'funny's good.' Tabitha agreed. "But it's not the good kind of funny. It's the weird kind. He never cries. Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you. He's going to be eight in January. He should be growing out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?" Alex sat up, and Tabitha removed her arm from him and scooted away a bit, giving the evidently distraught man the space he needed. "Shouldn't he?"

"Maybe." The Doctor closed the album and set it on the table between them. "It's gotten worse, though lately?"

Alex nodded wearily. "Yeah. We talked about getting help. You know, maybe sending him somewhere. He started getting these nervous tics, you know, funny little cough. Blinking all the time. But now it's got completely out of hand." Suddenly, he stood. Tabitha and the Doctor got to their feet alongside him, wanting to meet this 'funny' boy. "I mean he's scared to death of everything-"

"Pantaphobia."

"...what?!"

"Pantaphobia," cut in Tabitha before the Doctor could go off on one of his tangents that would only serve to confuse, and possibly anger, Alex further. "That's what it's called - the fear of everything. Not a fear of pants, if that's what you were thinking, because I've known someone to think it was a fear of pants. Although, I suppose it includes pants since it encompasses everything. I wonder what that'd be like, being afraid of everything..." Tabitha realized then that she had gotten completely off topic, a trait she shared with the Doctor. Flushing, she tried to wave it off with an airy hand swishing through the air in front of her, as if brushing the words away from existence. "Sorry, Alex. That bit got away from me. Please, go on."

"He hates clowns and old toys. He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch. He hates having a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing..." While Alex continued down this path, he was blissfully unaware of the conversation Tabitha and the Doctor were having.

_Don't you dare say a word,_ Tabitha threatened, though her voice was playful. _Not one._

_About what? _the Doctor remarked innocently. _You mean about the fact that you ramble just as much as I do? Well, no one can ramble as well as I can, but you just got pretty close to it there. Also, who do you know thought that pantaphobia meant a fear of pants? You haven't been human that long to know people. You're never left my side once, either, and I know no one who thought that. Well, there was one per-... Oh no. You're not talking about who I think you're talking about, are you? _In front of him, Tabitha nodded inconspicuously. _What did he do to make you learn THAT?_

_Your mind is a fascinating place,_ answered Tabitha. _I knew that he was not the brightest man, but I never thought Captain Harkness would use that as a legitimate excuse to walk around without pants and then tell everyone about it. That image of Jack in those skintight trousers is not pleasant either. _Mentally, she shivered in horror mingled with disgust. _Is there a reason why you choose to remember that? _The Doctor made no response, and Tabitha sniggered. _I'll find out sooner or later._

_Good luck with that, _he told her at last. Something came to mind then that would bring a blush to Tabitha's face, and the temptation was too great to resist. He enjoyed teasing her far too much. _So Tabitha SMITH, huh? _Just as he expected, the red in Tabitha's cheeks returned in full force. _Any particular reason why you picked that last name?_

"Look, I don't know. I'm not an expert," Alex finished, interrupting their mental conversation and unintentionally becoming Tabitha's saving grace. He had sat down once again. "Maybe you can get through to him." Alex looked up at the two visitors hopefully.

"We'll try our best," Tabitha told him before a loud crash sent them all jumping in their places. In the blink of an eye, Alex was rushing to George's room with the Doctor and Tabitha hot on his heels. The door with its handwritten sign that read 'George's Room' in crayon was thrown open. While Alex checked on his son, relieved to see that only the boy had knocked over the lamp on his bedside table in his haste to sit up, the Doctor leaned against the doorway with Tabitha standing in between the two men.

"Who are you?" George questioned, voice quavering and pointing at Tabitha and the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor, and that's Tabitha."

The boy's eyes widened in fear. "A doctor? Have you come to take me away?"

"Why would we do that?" Tabitha asked him, stepping closer to the boy's bed. He trembled beneath his blankets, but Tabitha smiled softly at him and sat on the edge of his bed, far enough so that the boy would not feel stifled but close enough so that he could see her kind face in the dark. With a soft hand, she reached out and pushed his blonde hair from his face. Alex started when a grin fought to make its way onto George's face. Usually, the boy was terrified of mere thought of strangers. "No, the Doctor and I are here just to talk to you, George. We want to help you."

"Talk about what?"

"About the monsters." George paled. To comfort him, Tabitha took his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "Where are the monsters, George? Where'd they come from?"

"Maybe it was things on the telly, you know?" Alex supplied. He did notice his son point at the cupboard in the corner, hand shaking. The Doctor, however, followed his hand and made his way over to the cupboard. While he ran his hands over it, searing for some defect or alien residue, Tabitha moved to George's side and allowed the boy to lean his head onto his shoulder. She frowned when she felt him trembling from crown of his head to the tip of his toes. "Scary stuff, getting under his skin, frightening him. So we stopped letting him watch."

"Oh, you don't want to do that," advised the Doctor, flashing George a smile and a wink.

But Alex continued. "But then Claire thought it might have been something he was reading."

"Great! Reading's great. You like stories, George?" The boy nodded and watched with a growing grin as the Doctor jumped up onto the foot of the bed. From the dresser on his right, the Time Lord plucked a Rubik's cube from the surface. He mixed it up and attempted to solve it without looking down once. "When I was your age, about, ooh... a thousand years ago, I loved a good bedtime story. The Three Little Sontarans. The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes. Snow White And The Seven Keys To Doomsday, eh? All the classics." Suddenly, he threw the unsolved cube over to the side, and Alex failed to catch it before it could hit the ground. Rolling his eyes, the man bent to pick it up. "Rubbish. Must be broken. I hate those things. Better tidy it away, though, eh? How about in there?" The Doctor gestured to the cupboard. Gasping, George shook his head frantically. "No? Not in the cupboard? Why not in there, George?"

Too scared to speak, Alex answered for his son. "It's a... thing. A thing we got him doing ages back. Anything that frightens him, we put it in the cupboard. Creepy toys, scary pictures, that sort of thing."

"And that's where the monsters go?" Tabitha questioned the boy gently, wanting him to respond. Slowly, George nodded. They both looked on as the Doctor crept up to the cupboard. She could feel the boy beginning to shake once more, growing in intensity the closer the Doctor's hand got to the latch. "There's nothing to be scared of, George. It's just a cupboard." Just as the Time Lord was about to open the cupboard, someone knocked on the front door, and Alex excused himself to see who it could be at such an hour. The remaining three listened to the conversation between Alex and the landlord, who had a rather large dog with him judging by the sound.

"What are they talking about?" George asked in a whisper.

"Oh, nothing," the Doctor remarked. He pulled his sonic out of his coat pocket and flicked it on, practically shoving it in the boy's face. George followed the bright, green light as the Doctor waved it around like a baton. Tabitha knew was he was doing - trying to distract George from the adult conversation taking place outside his door - and was grateful.

"Is that a torch?"

"Screwdriver!" The Doctor sat back on the bed. "A sonic one. And other stuff."

"Please may I see the other stuff?" Beaming, the Doctor swept his sonic around the room, activating all the battery-powered toys that George owned. Rather than fearing the sudden movements and noises, George crawled closer to the Doctor, pulling himself out of Tabitha's hold. He watched all his toys move without someone to guide them with fascination. Beside him, Tabitha shifted so that George was sandwiched in between her and the Doctor, and the adults smiled at one another over the his head. _You're enjoying this, _the Doctor told Tabitha through their mental bond. They had been working on strengthening it. With Tabitha being part Time Lord and part sentient machine, it was much easier than the Doctor had anticipated.

_Did you expect me not to? _she fired back. _Helping a child in need - that's what you're known for. I'm just along for the ride._

_No, you're so much more than that._ The Doctor chuckled at the pink that dusted Tabitha's face. _Have you noticed something about George, though?_

_A number of things. Which one are you referring to?_

_Well-_

"This is amazing!" George exclaimed, startling the two out of their thought sharing.

The Doctor flashed a large grin at the boy. "That's better. No tears from George. That's what I've heard. Go on, give us a smile. There's a brave little soldier. Bit rusty at this. Anyway, let's open this cupboard, eh? There's nothing to be..." Standing, the Doctor aimed his sonic at the apparent source of the boy's fears. Nonchalantly scanning the cupboard, the Doctor's smile dropped like a stone when the whirring increased in pitch. "Off the scale. _Off the scale!_ How...?" Ever so slowly, the Doctor's eyes turned from the sonic in his hand to the cupboard, its presence now looming over them like a storm cloud. "I think, just this once, it'd be best to leave it alone." He backed away cautiously, his hand grasping behind him, searching. When Tabitha took it, hoping to help guide him to wherever he needed to be, the Doctor did not release her, simply gripped onto her hand with a hold as firm as iron.

"Sorry about that," muttered Alex. The man had trudged back into the room after his conversation with the landlord of the estate. "So, have we got this thing open yet?" His fingers brushed along the latch, fully intent on opening the cupboard, when the Doctor sprang forward and pulled him back, nearly yanking Tabitha's shoulder from its socket at the same time. "What?"

"You don't want to do that."

"Why?"

Tabitha took this one. "Because George's monsters are real." At that, George looked sharply up at her, horror in his eyes. Tabitha wrapped her arms around the boy and allowed him to tremble in her embrace, her hand stroking her hair while she whispered soothing words into his ear. But how was she supposed to comfort a child who just learned that everything that goes bump in the night and hides under his bed exists? Her eyes found the Doctor's, and the answer reflected back to her in his gaze. _You can't._


	28. Night Terrors 2

**You know what's worse than being sick in the winter?... being sick in the summer during vacation :(**

**Don't own Doctor Who. Nope. Not me.**

**You know that bird in Pixar's Up? Kevin? I want it. While I'm out hunting for him, enjoy Chapter Twenty-Seven (eventually, I'm going to run out of rhymes. Let's just hope they last to the end of Series 6. After that, I'll think of something else to put up here)**

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The Doctor rummaged through the cabinet, searching for teacups, while Alex ranted at him from the corner of the kitchen. Tabitha had remained in the room with George in the hopes of getting more information about his monsters out of the boy. But he had remained as silent as the grave ever since the Doctor told him that said monsters were real. Her voice just above a whisper, she had asked Alex for some tea for both herself and George. The Doctor beat the man to the kitchen however, bounding from the room with surprisingly agility. Showing a hand into the cabinet, he felt around blindly for the teacups. When he did find them, four of them, he turned to Alex with a grin, as if the man was pleased about what the Time Lord had revealed to his son, and placed them on the counter. He could not have been farther from the truth.

"You're supposed to be a professional! I'll never get him to sleep now!" Alex raved. "It's so... irresponsible."

"No, Alex. Responsible. Very. Cupboard bad. Cupboard not bare. Stay away from cupboard. And there's something else. Something I've missed. Something staring me in the face," the Doctor shot off in rapid succession, his voice serious. Whatever was in that cupboard was new and dangerous. The former he liked, the latter he could do without especially since Tabitha was in the room, curiosity probably bubbling beneath the surface. Despite her desire to keep the boy comforted, Tabitha wanted to know what was so terrifying that it would drive a boy to paranoia as much as the Doctor did. But, for George's sake, she kept a safe distance.

Alex's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Look, I'd like you to leave, please. You're just making things worse." He leaned passed the Doctor and took back the cups, which the Doctor quickly snatched from him and returned to the counter. "Will you stop making tea? I want you to leave!"

"No." With a sudden start, the Doctor opened the fridge. He had just remembered that Tabitha enjoyed milk with her tea. As he was about to stick his hand into the refrigerator, it slammed closed right in front of his face, and he hastily pulled it and his hand back.

"What? What do you mean 'no?' Leave! Get out!" Alex grit his teeth as the Doctor disregarded his protests completely and opened the refrigerator once more. Frustrated, Alex forced it shut with more force than necessary. "Now, please! Look, maybe this was a bad idea. We should sort out George ourselves." Sighing, the Doctor stood so that he was eye to eye with George. In those blue depths, Alex saw something dark and ancient, but it was hidden beneath layers and layers of pity. Whoever this John Smith/the Doctor fellow was, he had no intention of leaving. He would do everything he could to help George, along with the woman, Tabitha Smith. Alex could read it in his eyes. Neither of them would back down, no matter what Alex did. But that did not mean he could not try. "Just leave, please."

"We can't, and you can't," the Doctor told him, voice heavy with the obligation he had taken upon himself.

"No-one's going to tell us how to run our lives. I don't care who you are or what wheels have been set in motion. We'll sort it!"

"I'm not just a professional, Alex. I'm the Doctor."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Just as the Doctor was about to jump into a dramatic speech, Tabitha stepped into the kitchen, George balanced on her hip. The boy's blonde head rested on her chest, staring blankly off into the distance. His hand clutched onto her jacket as if it were the only thing keeping him from floating off. Tabitha had heard the shouting and came to investigate, but George refused to leave her side. "It means, Alex, that the Doctor and I have come a long way to get here. A very long way. George sent him a message across the barriers of Time and Space that somehow was amplified by his fear of whatever's inside that cupboard. The Doctor has seen a lot of things in his life, but nothing so powerful as a child's fear."

"Eh?!" Alex uttered intelligently. He was not following any of this. In fact, the more Tabitha spoke, the more worried he became.

"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire," continued the Doctor, ever the poet. " Through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought and a whole, terrible, wonderful universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes. And one thing I can tell you, Alex... monsters are real."

Alex paused as something clicked in his mind. "You're not from Social Services, are you?"

Smiling, pity in her eyes, Tabitha shook her head while the Doctor said, entirely serious, "First things first - You got any Jammie Dodgers?" Mutely, Alex pointed to another cabinet, and the Doctor practically skipped to get the beloved biscuits. "George, want a Jammie Dodger?" From where he rested, Tabitha could feel him nod slowly. With a biscuit stuff into his mouth, the Doctor came over with the entire pack in his hands, took one out with a flourish of the wrist, and held it our for the boy to take, though he did so rather slowly. The Doctor then held on in front of Tabitha's lips, and she placed her mouth on it and pulled it from his grasp as she had no free hands. George was a rather heavy boy. The Doctor bopped her gently on her nose before spinning off to make tea. Tabitha noticed that he was enjoying this (whatever 'this' was) far more than he should have been.

"Doctor, I'm going to take George back to his room so you and Alex can talk." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "See if I can get anything out of him. Bring the tea once you've finished, please." After he nodded, Tabitha walked away, muttering comforting words into George's ear. She did not feel the Doctor's eyes following her until she turned the corner and vanished from sight.

_She had done this with Maig, too_, the Doctor mused. He remembered telling Amy when she first arrived on the TARDIS that he never got involved in the affairs of others... unless there was a crying child. It did not mean literally crying, though it could have. Tabitha seemed to have taken up that idea as well, though more from a mother's perspective. With both Maig and George, she had taken them up in her arms, trying to fight back whatever had hurt them with a warm embrace and a soothing voice. Her motherly instinct was strong, and it brought a smile to the Doctor's face. _Tabitha'd make a great mother... not that I'm thinking about it in THAT way. Nope. Not at all. _Shaking his head, the Doctor dislodged those thoughts from his mind. There were things more important than Tabitha at the moment. _Are there? Wait. Yes! Of course there are. _With that decided, the Doctor finished making the tea, brought two of the cups to Tabitha and George, and then returned to the living room to speak to Alex.

With Tabitha, she and George sat across from each other, drinking tea and telling each other stories to keep the boy's mind from straying to the cupboard and what could possibly be in there. She laughed as he slurped at his drink, some of it dripping off of his chin and onto his pajamas. Reaching forward, Tabitha wiped it away with the corner of his blanket.

"May I ask you a question, Miss Tabitha?"

"You may."

"Is it just you and the Doctor here?" George questioned.

"No, it's not. We have two other friends who came with us named Rory and Amelia Williams." Her voice faded into silence when the truth slammed into her. "Stupid, stupid Tabitha," she muttered to herself, guilt weighing down on her shoulders. George looked at her with bright, blue eyes shining with confusion and curiosity. "George, can you wait here without me for a moment? I need to talk to the Doctor about something very important." His gaze shifted from her to the cupboard and then back to her. Wordless, George nodded before shuffling to the corner of his bed, as far from the cupboard as physically possible without leaving the room. "You're very brave, George. I'll only be a moment." Placing her cup on his bedside table and ruffling his hair, Tabitha walked into the living room where the Doctor and Alex were debating over what to do with the cupboard.

"Tabitha, glad you're here," the Doctor told her when he caught sight of her. "How's George?"

"He's fine, but I need to talk to you." The Time Lord jumped from his seat and made his way over to Tabitha. He stood close enough that Tabitha could feel the heat coming off of his body, but far enough that she did not have to talk in anything above a whisper. "We completely forgot about Rory and Amelia. They should have been back to this floor by now. If they had gone back to the TARDIS, Mum would have let me know."

"Don't worry. I know exactly where they are."

"Oh?" He nodded, grinning. "Then where are they?"

His expression dropped into a frown. The Doctor had not anticipated Tabitha challenging him. Instead of coming up with an elaborate lie, he said, "We may be horrible people. But they have each other. At least their not alone."

"We need to find them," replied Tabitha with a sigh.

"Do we?" Tabitha lifted an eyebrow, and he continued. "Riddle me this, Tabitha. Which would you rather do: go search for Amy and Rory, when they could be anywhere in this estate, and leave George and Alex on their own? Or do you want to help a scared little boy become overcome his greatest fears?" He clapped his hands on his shoulders so her eyes would not stray from his. The Doctor watched and listened as she rapidly weighed the pros and cons of her mind, the only sign of an inner struggle being her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. "I'm letting you choose. If you think we should go after Amy and Rory, I'll follow you. You're the leader now. Tell me what to do."

After a moment of thinking, Tabitha admitted, "Rory and Amelia will be fine without us for a little while longer. They'll keep each other safe." Nodding, the Doctor kissed her forehead encouragingly before spinning her around and nudging her gently back to George's room while he returned to Alex. She found George right where she had left him, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest, cuppa in hand, watching the cupboard intently. He jumped when Tabitha sat back down on the bed. "Sorry about that."

"Are you friends alright?"

"They're perfectly fine, George. Now, why don't you tell me something about yourself? Hm? Like, what's your favorite color?"

"Orange. Yours?"

"A very special shade of blue," she answered, thinking of the TARDIS. The two continued in this fashion for a while, going back and forth asking the other questions, until the Doctor and Alex barged into the room and stood before the cupboard, keeping Tabitha and George behind them. The Doctor stretched his arms and cracked his neck, as if her were about to play a fierce game of tennis rather than open a cupboard. He suddenly leaned against it, pressing his ear to the wood and making George and Alex jumped in fright. Fingering the latch, the Doctor ripped open the cupboard. What he found was not frightening in the least, though. It was empty, except for some old clothes, toys, and a doll house. "That's not possible," Tabitha gasped behind him. The Doctor agreed wholeheartedly.

"I don't understand it. It has to be the cupboard. The readings from the sonic screwdriver, they were..." Not finishing his thought, the Doctor closed the cupboard door and raced from the room, only to return seconds later with the photo album in hand. He flipped through it furiously, looking for one photo in particular. "How old is George, Alex?"

"Well, I told you. He just turned eight."

"Then you remember the day he was born, right?" Tabitha added, catching onto what the Doctor had realized. She had noticed it when flipping through the photo album earlier, but it had not clicked just then. Having the Doctor say it aloud, confront the impossibilities, made Tabitha understand just what had been so wrong about it and, subsequently, George. "Of course you do. How couldn't you? It must've been the happiest day of your life." Slowly, Alex nodded. "Tell us about the day he arrived. It must've been wonderful." She hated goading him on like this. However, the truth was a difficult thing to face and even more difficult to bring to light. It would hurt Alex and George, definitely. But it had to be done. "Alex?"

"Bet day of my... life." The hesitation in his voice was obvious, and the Doctor readily picked up on it.

"Sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't sound so sure."

"What are you trying to say?" Alex demanded. He turned onto Tabitha with such a harsh glare that she moved away from George. Satisfied, Alex reached over and wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders, who was beginning to hyperventilate. His eyes shifted rapidly from Tabitha to the cupboard. She did not look at it, but the hairs along the back of her neck rose, as if someone was watching her from afar. Discreetly, George slid his hand over until Tabitha could take it in her own, giving his hand a squeeze and sending him a look that said, '_I'm here. Don't worry.'_ "Look, I don't like this. I've told you before, I want you to go!" With his free hand, Alex pointed at the door.

"What's the matter, Alex?" the Doctor prodded.

"I can't... Don't! Oh, this is scary!"

"No, Alex. This is scary. Claire with baby George." The Time Lord pulled a photo from the album. It was a picture of Claire, sweating and flushed with exhaustion and hair plastered to her forehead, but with the brightest smile on her face as she looked at the camera. In her arms was a sleeping baby boy, barely the size of a football. "Newborn, yes?" Alex nodded. "Less than a month after Christmas."

"So?" sputtered the human.

"So look. Look!" He shoved an image of Alex and Claire at a Christmas Eve party, 2002 according to the writing on the back, under the man's nose. "Claire's not pregnant!" George's gasp was the only thing that could be heard among the deafening silence. Scooting from his father who had frozen on the spot, George climbed into Tabitha's lap, the woman being warm and comforting. George was safe around her, and he enjoyed that rare feeling when he commonly felt like an outsider among his own family. Leaning against her, he buried his face into her neck when Tabitha absentmindedly wrapped her arms around him. The fear and rejection emanating from the boy stifled her, and she looked down at him in concern. But when Tabitha saw his eyes, they were not worried. In fact, they seemed rather... _analytical,_ twitching fervently over information only he could see. There was something George was trying to figure out. What could he possibly be wondering at a time like this?

"What?"

"Not pregnant."

"Well, of course not. Claire can't have kids!" Alex paused, the gravity of his words crashing down around his ears. Disbelievingly, he turned to George. The boy huddled closer to Tabitha. Behind him, the Doctor snapped shut the photo album, a frown on his timeless face. "We tried everything. She was desperate. As much IVF as we could afford, but... Claire can't have kids. How... How can I have forgotten that? It's not possible! This isn't..."

Leaning back, Tabitha forced the boy to look up at her. "Who are you, George?" she asked not unkindly. Tabitha gently pushed his hair back from his face. "George?"

Suddenly, the room began to quake. The Doctor and Alex grabbed onto anything they could find to steady themselves - George's bedframe, the cupboard, anything - while George trembled in Tabitha's hold. The Doctor shouted and stumbled back when light appeared through the cracks of the cupboard. The bedside lamp switched on, blinding the two sitting on the bed, and the cupboard door swung open, crashing against the wall behind it with a deafening BANG. An invisible force wrapped around the Doctor and Alex, drawing them in, but they try to fight it with all of their might. As for Tabitha, she watched on in both terror and astonishment, clinging to the bedframe with one hand and to George with the other. The boy brought his knees to his chin and plugged his hands over his ears, blocking out the shouts of his father and the Doctor.

"George...! George, what's going on? Are you doing this?"

"What's going on?"

"Please save me from the monsters!" George chanted over the rattling of his bedroom. "Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters! _Please save me from the monsters!_" He did not notice the Doctor get sucked into the cupboard, Alex following, but George did hear the slamming shut of the door. He blinked five times as the room settled around them, and Tabitha released her death grip on the wooden frame before turning to George. "Are the monsters gone?" he asked sweetly.

"George," Tabitha breathed, her eyes never straying from where the Doctor stood, "what did you do?"

"That's what I do to get rid of the monsters," he answered. George followed her as she jumped up and ran over to the cupboard. Tabitha threw it open, but it was empty except for the clothes and the doll house. No sign of the Doctor or Alex. "Did I do something wrong?"

She sighed and pressed her forehead against he back of the cupboard. "No, George. But something happened that we need to fix." Back straightening, Tabitha grabbed his hand and led him from the flat. His bare feet slapped along the floor of the corridor, running to keep up with Tabitha's long and determined strides. Despite the dark and the creeping shadows, George trailed after her without a thought. "You remember that special blue color I was telling you about? Would you like to see it?"

"Very much, please," he replied politely.

With Tabitha's long steps, it did not take long for the two to reach the TARDIS, Tabitha carrying the boy to keep his feet clean. Pushing the doors open with her shoulder, the TARDIS hummed a welcome, mentally asking Tabitha who the boy was. "This is George, Mum. George, I would like you to meet the TARDIS. Now, come along." She sat him down in the captain's chair, knelt in front of him, and stared directly into his eyes. "Do you trust me?" He nodded, sucking on his thumb. "Good, because I'm going to do something, and I need you to stay completely still in that chair. Can you do that for me?" Again, George nodded. "Thank you." Her next words were addressed to the bigger-on-the-inside machine. "Mum, scan him. What is he? Because 'human' isn't it."

While a pale light shone on George from the console, scanning him vertically and horizontally, Tabitha worked on locating the Doctor. His connection with the TARDIS was strained for some reason, so Tabitha tracked him by his sonic screwdriver. But there was nothing she could do except wait until the Doctor actually used his sonic. Knowing him, it would not take very long. Stretching her arms overhead, Tabitha sat next to the hole where the scanner protruded, smiling at George as he swung his feet and chewed on his thumb. "George, do you know what happened?" He shook his head. "You can talk. I just need you to sit on that chair until the scan is finished." Just as the words left her mouth, the light vanished. All the information ran across the screen that swung around to hang above Tabitha.

"I'm scared."

"I know you are. But you're being a very brave boy."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, I need you to answer one question for me: where do the monsters go? The cupboard's empty except for... Oh no." George did not, answer, seeing one brighten Tabitha's eyes instead. "George, the monsters go into the doll house, don't they? Which means the Doctor's in there, and so is Alex." Frustrated, Tabitha ran her hands through her hair, grasping at the locks and fisting her hands. "We need to find a way to get them back. Mum, looks like I won't need you to look for the Doctor after all. Come along, George." Grabbing the boy's hand, Tabitha made to leave the time machine, forgetting entirely about the scan. But, when the screen pinged behind her in success, she spun around and raced back. Her emerald eyes rapidly read over the information found, her brain processing and storing everything.

"Ten-za," George pronounced slowly, reading from behind her back.

"Now it all makes sense," Tabitha muttered. Turning to face George, Tabitha knelt down and gripped his shoulders. "George, are you a Tenza?" He grinned and nodded frantically, proud of his species. "Remarkable. You've changed your parents' entire reality, making them forget that they can't have children. You're very strong for such a young boy. That perception filter must be extremely potent. If your father knew, he'd be very proud of the alien he's been raising." Tabitha had no doubt of that. Alex would be thrilled that he had a son and would be proud of how George had turned out... after he woke up from fainting. It was the only logical reaction to have when one found out that their child was not really their child, but an alien from outer space who had repressed the truth that Claire could not have children and made himself into the child Claire and Alex desperately wanted. It was rather adorable, in an odd way. Then again, when traveling with the Doctor, what was _normal_?

"Thank you, Miss Tabitha."

"...That still doesn't explain the monsters, though." George paled at her words and stepped away, quivering like an arrow embedded in a target. "We need to get back to the flat and figure out what happened to the Doctor and Alex, alright?" He shook his head, adamantly refusing. Tabitha noticed he was muttering under his breath and fell silent to hear him. "'Please save me from the monsters.' George, they're not going to touch you. They'll have to get through me first. You dad and the Doctor are the ones that need saving from the monsters right now, and you're the only one who can do this." George said nothing, terror in his eyes as he stared into the distance. "George, what are you so afraid of?"

"He said he was going to send me away," the boy whispered so low that Tabitha almost did not hear him. "I don't want to go!"

"Who said they were going to send you away? What are you on about-... Oh," she said, understanding. With Alex's and Claire's desire to meet with social services, and their skittishness around George, all the pieces fell into place. "I see." She took George's small, pudgy hand in her larger, thin one. "You're not going anywhere, George. Not if I can help it."

"You promise?" George questioned as they stood before the TARDIS doors. They swung open into the darkness and night, letting in the cool air. Across the way, the light of George's flat was still on, staring at them like an unblinking eye. George stared back, blue eyes full of a mixture of excitement, fear, anxiety, anticipation, and the deepest sorrow. But none would stop him from saving his father. He would face the monsters to get Alex back, because he loved Alex. The man raised him, believed that he was George's father. Now, though, what could stop him from abandoning the Tenza? Would Tabitha be enough? George certainly hoped so.

As if sensing his thoughts, she stroked the back of his hair with a gentle hand. "Promise." Grabbing his hand once more, Tabitha tried to reach the Doctor through her mind while they practically raced back to the flat and the cupboard. _Doctor?_

_I'm here._

_Are you alright? What about Alex?_

_A couple of bumps and bruises, and we had one hell of a walloping on landing (I think). But we're both up and ready to do... something. Don't worry, Tabitha. I've got a bit of a plan. It'll be ready once I've finished talking. Besides, if I can't get us out, you can. I trust you. _Tabitha smiled, and a light blush came to her cheeks. _You've never let me down yet, and I know you won't now. Just keep George and yourself safe, alright? We don't know what we're dealing with._

_I will._

_Promise?_

_Promise._


	29. Night Terrors 3

**Yeah, still don't own Doctor Who.**

**Some guys are five minutes, but the Doctor was TWELVE YEARS late. How mad would you be if that happened to you? While you're figuring that out, enjoy Chapter Twenty-Eight.**

**Also...100+ followers! YAY! :D Thank you all. You are wonderful people!**

* * *

The Doctor came to with a groan, lying on a carpet atop a hardwood floor. Beside him, Alex was slowly waking up and pushing himself into a sitting position. Suddenly, the Doctor sprang off the floor and ran to the door, slapping his palm against it and shouting, "George! Don't do this! We want to help you, George!" When there was no response, the Doctor tried opening it, but to no avail. No matter how much he jiggled the handle, the door remained lock. Huffing in frustration, he ran a hand through his floppy hair and turned back to Alex, who was now leaning heavily against he table, his eyes wide as he took in the room they were standing in. It was a finely furnished dining room, with a round table of polished wood, a chandelier, and a plush carpet underfoot. It also looked nothing like his son's room. While the Doctor argued with himself in hushed tones, Alex began hyperventilating.

"We went...We went into the cupboard! We went into the cupboard!" Alex shouted, his voice echoing around the room. He watched the Doctor as he came around to the table, which was lavishly set for what seemed to be a feast, leaned over, and smelled the chicken. The man was remarkably calm for just having been _sucked into a cupboard!_ "How can it be bigger in here?" Spinning around himself, Alex began touching anything and everything within arm's reach, making sure it was real. Sure enough, the fireplace, the table, and the door were solid beneath his fingertips.

"More common than you'd think actually." The Doctor froze. "Where's Tabitha? Why isn't she here?" Much like Alex had, the Doctor spun around himself frantically, searching for those familiar emerald orbs and leather jacket. He even looked beneath the table, but she was nowhere to be found. "Tabitha, where are you? Tabitha!" His voice returned to him unanswered. "If she's not in here, where could she be?" Just he was about to go tearing through the house, shouting her name, a silent voice whispered in his mind. _Doctor?_ He nearly laughed in relief. However, the Doctor had no idea where he was or the dangers that were possibly outside this room, and so he kept silent.

_I'm here._

_Are you alright? What about Alex?_

_A couple of bumps and bruises, and we had one hell of a walloping on landing (I think). But we're both up and ready to do... something. Don't worry, Tabitha. I've got a bit of a plan. It'll be ready once I've finished talking. Besides, if I can't get us out, you can. I trust you._ _You've never let me down yet, and I know you won't now. Just keep George and yourself safe, alright? We don't know what we're dealing with._

_I will. _Her blind trust in him made the Doctor pause.

_Promise?_

_Promise._ He felt herself put up her barriers, blocking him out of her mind once again. The Doctor doubted that he would ever know why she did that or even if she realized that she did it. Though his question about where she could be was not answered, hearing her voice in his head was enough to assuage his worries for the moment. Walking up to Alex, he grasped the panicked man's shoulders and held him there. "You're okay." The Time Lord, after releasing the human, strolled around the table as if he had not a care in the world. His mouth spoke, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about a certain brunette who happened to be out of his immediate line of sight. That fact alone was enough to set the Doctor on edge. Every time he had not looked after her, Tabitha had nearly died. _Let's hope this time her luck doesn't run out,_ he thought to himself.

"Where are we?" demanded Alex.

"Obvious, isn't it?"

"No!"

"Dolls' house! We're inside the dolls' house." Alex repeated his words with a high pitched, terrified voice, and the Doctor tried not to roll his eyes. _Were all humans like this? Or do I just travel with the weird ones?_ Filing that question away for a later date, the Doctor elaborated further. "In the cupboard. In your flat. The dolls' house!"

"No! Just... slow down, would you?!" Alex came around to stand across the table from the Doctor, intent on looking the Time Lord in the eyes and searching for any shred of dishonestly.

"Look! Wooden chicken!" The Doctor threw said chicken at Alex, who barely had time to catch it before plates and silverware and other foods were tossed to him. "Cups, saucers, plates, knives, forks, fruit, chickens! Wood! So... we're either inside the dolls' house or this a refuge for dirty posh people who eat wooden food. Or termites! Giant termites trying to get on the property ladder." While speaking (rambling, actually) the Doctor made his way to the foot of the table, Alex joining him with frantic footsteps. Unthinking, the Doctor took the wooden melon from the table and thrust it into Alex's arms, nearly causing everything else there to topple to the ground. "No, that's possible. Is that possible?" The Doctor then turned and left, leaving Alex no choice but to drop the things in his arms and chase after the flighty Time Lord, who was striding confidently down a darkened hall by the time the human caught up.

"Will you stop?" Determined to have the Time Lord listen to him for once, Alex grasped the Doctor by the lapels of his tweed jacket. "What is he? What is George? And how could I forget that Claire can't have kids? How?"

"Perception filter," the Doctor answered, clapping Alex's arms. He had seen the answer in Tabitha's mind during their brief conversation, and he could not have been more proud of her for figuring it out before he did. The Doctor had to remind himself to tell her so later. However, at he moment, all his attention had to be directed to the matter at hand. "Some kind of hugely powerful perception filter. Convinced you and Claire. Everyone. Made you change your memories." After removing himself from Alex's hold, the Doctor moved in front of a mirror and made a face at himself. "Now, what could do that?" He walked on. Behind him, Alex reassured himself that it was only a mirror before following the Time Lord, both unaware of the eyes watching them from the shadows.

Passing through an open doorway, they found themselves in the front hall. An electric candelabra sat on the ground before them, light bulb flames giving of an orange glow. "So, Claire can't have kids and something responded to that. Responded to that need. What could do that?" The Doctor did not think that Tabitha was wrong. Far from it, actually. He had full confidence in her and her intelligence, but he liked to go through plans and plots and follow the creator's train of thought. He knew it would take time, but the Doctor also knew he would not be satisfied until he understood entirely what had happened with George and Alex and Claire. Tabitha figured it out what George was. However, that did not explain the monsters or George's irrational fears of, well, everything. The Doctor, true to his chosen name, intended to get to the bottom of this.

Alex closed the door behind them. "Well, I thought you were the expert, fighting monsters all day. You tell me!"

"Oi, listen, mush. Old eyes, remember? I've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been round and re-built them as bigger blocks. Super blocks! I've been round them as well. I can't remember everything." While he spoke, Alex heard the sound of the lift and tried to direct the Doctor to the sound, but the Time Lord continued rambling. Just like George had described it, it sounded like breathing, like the doll house was letting out a massive sigh around them. "It's like trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party when you were two. And I can't just plump for 'Brian' like I normally do..."

"Doctor, listen!"

"Shh, what's that?"

"It's the lift. It's the sound that the lift makes. George is scared stiff of it." Alex's eyes were suddenly drawn the candelabra as, one by one, the five light bulbs darkened, plunging the room into shadows. It did not stay that way for long though, and the lights flickered back on. "Five times."

"What?"

"The lights. It's happening five times. It's like one of George's habits." Together, the two men knelt by the candelabra and watched as the lights continued in this pattern: turned off, flicker on one by one until all five were lit, then turn off once more. An endless cycle, and a familiar one to Alex. "We have to switch the light on and off five times."

"Now you're getting it."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you tell George to do with everything that scares him?" the Doctor questioned, already knowing the answer. Alex told him: put it in the cupboard. "Exactly, and George isn't just an ordinary little boy. We know that now. So, anything scary he puts in here. Scary toys, like the dolls' house. Scary noises, like, like the lift. Even his little rituals have become part of it. A psychic repository for all his fears. The question is..." The Doctor faded off into silence at the sound of a high-pitched giggling, like a child's laughter, that was too close and too giddy for comfort. Jumping to their feet, both men spun around to find a wooden doll standing in the room with them. The Doctor barely heard Alex's exclamation of 'Oh, my God!'

Its hair was long and red, but stringy and limp as if in need of a fierce washing. Black, empty eye sockets narrowed in a glare watched the Doctor and Alex as they slowly backed away from it. In the back of his mind, the Doctor was reminded of the Fajro-Kahn and their lack of eyes. However, at least there was something he could see, a flame that highlighted the skull from within. With these dolls, there was nothing there, only the darkness that threatened to swallow them whole. The paint used for its face was pale and chipping in place, revealing the dark wood underneath. Its dress was stained and in tatters. Slowly, it began to totter towards them, head wobbling unsteadily on its shoulders.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the doll, momentarily forgetting its one weakness until nothing happened. "Wood! I've got to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing." With that said, they ran for the door at the opposite end of the room. Behind it was a pair of giant, purple safety scissors that the Doctor used to push the doll away so that he and Alex could make their escape. "Run!" The two raced on, the Doctor in the lead, as the doll trailed after them, stating in a childish voice, 'Don't run away. We just want to play.'

Passing the scissors off to Alex, the Doctor spoke aloud, organizing his thoughts. "Massive psychic field. Perfect perception filter. And that need. That need of Claire's to... Oh! Tabitha's a genius! I could bloody kiss her! I just might, too!" Spinning around, the Doctor exclaimed, "George is a Tenza! Of course he is! Good ol' Tabitha for figuring that out!"

"He's a _what_?" squealed Alex, fighting off the relentless doll that 'just wanted to play.'

"A cuckoo. A cuckoo in the nest. A Tenza. He's a Tenza." The Doctor strode to the other door in the room, opened it, and then slammed it shut on the face of yet another doll. They were everywhere! Which meant that he and Alex were trapped. "Millions of them hatch in space and then whoomph!" He moved to another door only to find _another _doll. "Off they drift, looking for a nest. The Tenza young can sense exactly what their foster parents want and then they assimilate. Perfectly." Returning to Alex's side, the Doctor realized with some panic that they were surrounded by walking, talking, wooden dolls. If they were not in danger, the Doctor would find this more exciting than was healthy.

"George is an... alien?" Alex grunted while pushing two dolls back. "He can't be! He's.. he's our child!" As the dolls began pushing them up the main staircase, the Doctor continued speaking, his words rushing out in an endless torrent.

"Of course he is. The child you always wanted. He sensed that instinctively and sought you out, but something scared him. Started this cycle of fear. It's all completely instinctive. Subconscious. George isn't even aware that he's controlling it. So we have to make him aware." The Time Lord ran up to the second flight, hoping this mad plan of his would work. If not... well, he did not really want to find out. "George! You're the only one who can stop this, but you have to believe! You have to believe, you have to know you're safe! I can't save you from the monsters. Only you can! George, Listen to me!"

There was no response. So he went to his final option. _Tabitha, if you heard any of that, any of it at all, tell George. We need him to do this. Please._

* * *

At the estate, Tabitha and George exited the lift, the boy paler than usual and trembling like mad. It had taken much persuasion on Tabitha's part to convince George that the lift was not going to hurt them. He had clutched onto her hand as if it were the only thing keeping him from turning into a quivering mess, and Tabitha had whispered kind and encouraging words to him, helping him conquer his fear of the lift. Slowly, George had loosened her hand until the feeling returned to her fingertips, which she was incredibly grateful for. Once they had left the lift, Tabitha could not help but notice that he had blinked five time. She would have to ask him about that later. Currently, Tabitha could not believe just how brave the boy was being. When they had first left the flat, they had taken the stairs because George had practically dragged her there, eyes never deviating from the lift. Now, though, having an inkling of what kind of danger the Doctor and Alex may be, George had pushed passed his fear of the lift and allowed it to carry him and Tabitha back to the flat, his room with the cupboard, and the monsters.

"Are you ready, George?" she asked him when they stood at the door of his room. Slowly, he nodded, and they entered his bedroom.

Everything was still. All the toys the Doctor turned on had fallen silent. The lamp quivered with remaining trembles from when they had taken the lift. The cupboard still stood there, as daunting as ever. Tabitha heard George begin to hyperventilate at the sight of it, and he hid himself behind her, his eyes wide and locked on the doors of the cupboard. She reached out to open the door, but George grabbed onto the sleeve of her leather jacket and yanked her arm back. "George, we have to do this."

"I'm scared."

Crouching down in front of him, Tabitha grabbed his shoulders. "So am I, George. I'm terrified. We don't know what's in there or what's going to happen. But we do know one thing: your father and my best friend are trapped in your cupboard, and they're in danger." George turned his head away from her, ashamed of his actions. She forced him to look at her with a gentle hand under his chin. "Listen to me, you're the only one who can help them. I can't save you from the monsters, and neither can the Doctor. They are _your_ monsters, and, if you want to save Alex, you're going to have to fight. I know you're scared of the monsters, George. You shouldn't be, though. They should be afraid of you because you are very brave, even braver than the Doctor."

"But the Doctor could open the cupboard when I couldn't."

"That's because he's very, very old, and he had seen many scary things," she explained. "When he was your age, the Doctor ran away from everything that scared him. It took him a long time to learn that running from your problems, or putting them in a cupboard, doesn't mean that they're gone. We all have to face our monsters some day. Even the Doctor...especially the Doctor."

"Do you have monsters, Miss Tabitha?"

Tabitha's mind immediately went to everything she feared. She was afraid for the Doctor, and how he tip-toed the line between life and death. She was afraid that one day he would step over the line without realizing it and would not find his way back. She was afraid of all the creatures in the universe that wanted to harm him, and there were plenty. But, most of all, she was afraid that, sooner or later, the Doctor would be in life threatening danger, and she could do nothing to help him. Her greatest fear was the Doctor's death. If he died, where did that leave her? "Yes, George. More than anyone. They're always with me, and I have to fight them everyday. I get tired and afraid, but I don't stop. I'll never stop."

"Why?"

"Because that means they win." She gently pushed his hair back from his face. "You have to end this once and for all."

Without a word, George stepped passed Tabitha and moved to stand in front of the cupboard. He reached for the latch, but before opening the door, George turned back to Tabitha. "Are you going to come with me?" Smiling, she pushed herself to her feet, grabbed his free hand, and braced herself as George flung the door open.

* * *

"I hope she got that," the Doctor whispered to himself. Tabitha did not reply, and so all he could do was hope. The sound of someone other than Alex beating back the dolls broke through his thoughts, and he looked up to find Rory climbing backwards down the stairs, fending off the wooden fiends with a mop. "Rory! Where's Amy?" To his horror, Rory pointed to a doll in a bonnet with flaming red hair. It was more red than any of the other dolls'. That was, without a doubt, Amy. With a new wave of fear rising up, the Doctor tried contacting George one more time. "George! George, you have to face your fears. You have to face them now! You have to open the cupboard or we'll all be trapped here forever in a living death! George! End this! End this _now!_"

Suddenly, the dolls came to a creaking stop. Glancing down at the center of the room, the Doctor found George standing there with his hand encased in Tabitha's. She gave him a playful wave. "Looks like you three have had some fun... but where's Amelia?" Before she could receive an answer, the dolls jerked back to life and walked down the stairs towards Tabitha and George. "Doctor, what's going on?" Pushing the boy behind him, Tabitha backed away from the advancing dolls. "Doctor!"

"No. No. No, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor leaned over the bannister to talk to the boy. His mind searched for the words that would help George conquer his fears while his eyes were locked onto Tabitha. Her own emerald orbs were as large as dinner platters, watching the dolls draw closer and closer. The terror in them broke the Doctor's hearts. Without George, without the boy winning the fight against what he was scared of most, Tabitha would end up just like Amy. "George, you created this whole world. This whole thing, you can smash it! You can destroy it!" But George just shook his head. "Something's holding him back. Something's holding him back. Something... Argh! I don't know!"

As the Doctor tried to figure out what was stopping George from believing in himself, Tabitha, against her better judgment, turned her back on the dolls and sat on the ground in front of George so that he would look at her, not at them. "George, you've done so well. I'm proud of you, but you're not done. What's wrong?"

"He said he was going to send me away." Tabitha glanced briefly over her shoulder at Alex.

"No, he won't."

"How do you know?"

"Alex," Tabitha said, louder this time so that the three on the staircase could hear her passed the giggling and the singing of the doll. "Do you love George?"

"W-what?" stuttered Alex, staring at the dark-haired woman in astonishment. "Of course I love him. What kind of stupid question is that?" He ignored the Doctor's affronted 'Oi! Don't call Tabitha stupid!' "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because the first thing George asked the Doctor and I when we came to your flat was if we were going to take him away," she replied. Tabitha stood to her feet and twirled around to stare at the man. The light of understanding flashed in Alex's eyes, followed by guilt. "That's what triggered this whole house of horrors. He thought you were rejecting him. He thought he wasn't wanted. That someone was going to come and take him away. With our arrival, that only confirmed that belief. He heard the word 'Doctor' and connected it with you and Claire talking about sending him away. _That's_ what's holding him back! He thinks you don't love him and that you don't want him anymore. That's enough to scare anyone!"

"But... how...?"

"He's a Tenza," the Doctor continued. "A Tenza's sole function is to fit in, to be wanted, and you were rejecting him."

"We couldn't cope!" Alex snapped, trying to defend himself. "We needed help!"

"Did George know that, though?" Tabitha jumped back when the first doll stepped off the final stair. It turned towards her with unblinking, lifeless eyes that sent a chill down her spine. "He thought you were rejecting him. He still thinks it." She almost screamed in frustration when she heard Alex and the Doctor talking about how Alex and Claire could possibly keep George if the boy was not human. While they bickered, the door behind Tabitha and George opened, and more dolls poured into the room, surrounding them. With nothing to fight them off, Tabitha was pulled away from George by the sleeve of her leather jacket, which she hastily shed as she was thrown to the ground. Half of the dolls converged on George, and the other half stumbled after Tabitha. She scrambled away from them until her back hit the wall.

"DAD!" George screamed at the same time Tabitha shouted "Doctor!"

Alex shoved the scissors at the Doctor and raced down the stairs, pushing passed the dolls to get to George. Just as the dolls were about to completely hid George from Tabitha's sight, Alex wrapped his arms around him in a hug, and the dolls stilled around them. One of the dolls paused with his hand inched from Tabitha's face, and she slumped lower against the wall, sighing in relief. Her eyes found Alex and George, who were both crying against one another. She barely registered the Doctor sliding to her side and pulling her against him when she heard Alex say, "Whatever you are, whatever you do, you're my son. And I will never, ever send you away. Oh, George. Oh, my little boy."

"Dad." Smiling at the two, Tabitha leaned her head on the Doctor's shoulder and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Hi!" Hearing laughter, Claire followed the sound to the kitchen where four pairs of eyes snapped up to her. Her husband was hefting George in the air, spinning the boy around as he played with one of his toy robots. Kissing the boy on the cheek, Alex plopped George onto the kitchen counter next to the woman with spiky, dark hair and green eyes. The final two were strangers, a man and a woman. The man, dressed in a tweed jacket and a bowtie, was cooking something while the woman was tickling her son mercilessly, drawing tears of joy and peals of laughter from him.

"Hello!" the Doctor replied happily. "You're Claire, I expect. Claire..." He waltzed up to her and kissed her on both cheeks. "How do you feel about kippers?" The Doctor skipped over to the stove, squeezing Tabitha's knee as he went. She giggled and jerked her leg, which caused the Doctor to stop and stare at her as if he had discovered a hidden treasure, and, in his mind, he had: Tabitha's knees were ticklish. He filed that precious tidbit away for later.

"Er... who?"

"They sent someone. About George," Alex told her. "It's all sorted." He watched his wife move over to her son and rub circles into his back, him eating a slice of bread. "We had a great time too, didn't we?" The Doctor, Tabitha, and George nodded frantically. "He's absolutely fine." Alex did all the talking, convincing his wife that their son was cured. The Doctor and Tabitha had had a long conversation about who would do the speaking, and she succeeded in allowing the Doctor the chance to let the human explain things to his wife without telling her exactly what had happened.

"What? Just like that?"

"Yes," the Doctor cut in. Well, he could not let Alex do _all_ the speaking. "Trust me." He moved over to Tabitha's side and took her hand, grinning as Alex kissed his wife deeply. The Doctor finished up the kippers and set them on a plate, along with some tea and jammie dodgers, before leaving the flat with Tabitha, clasped hands swinging in between them. Just as they were nearing the lift, Alex ran up behind them, calling out for both of them to stop. "Sorry, yes. Bye." Tabitha leaned forward and kissed his cheek in farewell, something that brought a momentary pout to the Doctor's face. "It's sorted. You sorted it. Good man, Alex. Proud of you."

"What, that's it?" Alex asked, echoing his wife's sentiments. It was hard to believe that everything they went through, all the difficulties they had had with George, were over just like that, thanks to the two strangest people Alex had the good fortune to meet.

"Other than making sure he eats his greens, gets into a good school, and becomes the best he could be, yes," Tabitha answered. "That's it."

"But is he going to...I don't know, sprout another head or three eyes or something?"

"He's one of the Tenza, remember?" the Doctor picked up with a smile that said '_humans... they'll never learn'_ with the tone of a patient teacher. George stepped out to say goodbye to his two helpers. "He'll adapt perfectly now. Hey! Be whatever you want him to be. I might pop back around puberty, mind you. Always a funny time." Before they left, George passed his toy robot to Tabitha to remind her what had happened. In return, Tabitha plunged her hand into her right, bigger-on-the-inside pocket and pulled out a snow globe. She shook it, sending the fake snow swirling, and handed it to George, who beamed brightly at her. He and his father retreated back inside, and Doctor and Tabitha took the lift down to where they found Amy and Rory sitting on a low, brick wall. The two aliens jumped up to sit in between them, Tabitha next to Rory and the Doctor next to Amy.

"How are you feeling, Amelia?" Tabitha asked.

"Better, considering I was turned into a wooden dolly."

"And now you're better!" the Doctor exclaimed. "All the credit, by the way, goes to Tabitha." She flushed when Rory, the Doctor, and Amy all turned to look at her, one with pride and the other two with immense gratitude. "She was absolutely brilliant. Figured it out before I did, which is no small feat." The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her faint flush flared into a vibrant red that put Amy's hair to shame. Laughing, they all slipped off the wall and almost skipped to the TARDIS. Well, Amy and Rory did. The Doctor was happy to walk behind them. He slid his arm around her waist, pulled her flush against him, and buried his face in her hair in a moment of joy, ignoring his promise to remain platonic towards the TARDIS child for a few sweet moments. His grin threatened to split his face when he felt Tabitha shyly scoot closer to him, if that were possible. Tightening his grip on her, the Doctor sneaked a kiss onto the crown of her head as they stepped into the beloved time machine.


	30. The Girl Who Waited 1

**Do I own Doctor Who? Let's ask the Doctor himself! Doctor...**

**The Doctor: Nope.**

**Me: And there you have it, folks!**

**I want a sonic screwdriver, one I can call mine. Any of you willing to buy me one? No? Oh well, here's Chapter Twenty-Nine.**

**By the way, just so you know what's coming, this adventure is primarily a Rory/Tabitha bonding trip. Because what brings people together better than evading certain death, nearly creating paradoxes that could blow up the universe, and having an annoying Time Lord whispering in your ear the entire way?... or is that just me?**

* * *

"Apalapucia."

Amy and Rory paused their conversation to look at the Time Lord in confusion. With Tabitha sitting on the captain's chair, her lips sealed, the humans had been left to figure out just how the Doctor piloted the TARDIS on their own. So far, individually, they had gotten no farther than figuring out that the largest lever with the circular knob and red grip is what sent the time machine into the Vortex. Other than that, they were at a lost. Knowing that two heads were better than one in most situations, the humans hoped it would also ring true for this occasion and had pulled their resources together. They were on the way to a major breakthrough in discovering what the circular knob with the protruding cylinders that reminded Amy of an anemone, only with dull spikes, was when the Doctor uttered that single, nonsense word. Bewildered beyond belief, the Scottish woman asked him to repeat himself, hoping that she would understand it a second time.

"Apalapucia." Nope. If anything, she was even more confused, along with her husband.

"Apalapu...?

"Cia!" the Doctor finished with a spin, pressing one of the numerous buttons that the humans had yet to figure out what its function was.

"Apalapucia," Rory said, testing the foreign word on his tongue. It felt weird.

"Apalapucia."

"Apulapucia. What a beautiful word," Amy commented, finally throwing some diversity into the conversation. Behind them, Tabitha laughed on the chair, her arms wrapped around her waist as she tried to stay on her seat. She loved humans, there was no denying that. They were so amusing with how little they knew of the universe. But that, she supposed, is what she liked best about them. What fun would it be if they knew everything? The Doctor was a prime example of the answer: no fun at all. Tabitha enjoyed watching them experience something new. It was like going to another country. _You can't just read the guide book. You've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers, _Tabitha thought. Where had she heard that before? It sounded familiar. Unbidden, her eyes sought out the Doctor, as if he could give her the answer, but his attention was entirely on getting to Apalapucia.

"Beautiful word, beautiful world," the Doctor continued. "Apalapucia, voted number two planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveler." He pulled a switch to land the time machine with a jolt, which did send Tabitha to the floor that time. Luckily, Rory was quick to get her to her feet.

"Why couldn't we go to number one?" asked Rory.

"The planet of the coffee shops?" Tabitha inquired. Rory lifted a bemused eyebrow. Out of all the things he had seen and done - fought vampire fish, died, returned as a plastic roman soldier, helped reboot the universe, got married, died _again, _and so on - 'planet of the coffee shops' took the prize as the strangest thing he had ever heard. "It's hideous. Everyone goes there. No, with Apalapucia, you get sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades and so much more that will take your breath away!" Grinning, Tabitha led her favorite human over to the doors, the ginger and the Time Lord trailing after them. "It's radiant! The word 'beautiful' doesn't do the planet justice. So, without further ado, the Doctor and I give you..." Her words cut off when the doors opened into a stark, pristine, white room with a pair of grey doors across from it, which Rory was quick to point out in a deflated, monotone voice.

"Yes, doors. We give you doors," continued the Doctor, stepping out of the TARDIS. On the way, he grabbed Tabitha's hand to pull her closer to him and away from Rory, but she kept a firm grasp on the human and brought him staggering along."But on the other side of those doors, we give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades." Behind them, Amy hesitated, returning to the console to search for her mobile, only to discover that it had gone missing.

Poking her head back out, she questioned, "Have you seen my phone?"

"Your phone?" the Doctor shot back incredulously. For a moment, he released Tabitha's hand and stalked back towards the TARDIS. Amy nodded. "Your mobile telephone? I bring you to a paradise planet, two billion light years away, and you want to update Twitter?" Even Rory could not bite back a snort of laughter, and Tabitha playfully swatted his arm.

"'Sunsets. Spires. Soaring silver colonnades,'" mocked the ginger in a very impressive impersonation of the Doctor, going as far as to adjust her imaginary bowtie before returning to her usual slurred Scottish tones. "It's a camera phone." Sighing in consternation, the Doctor told her that her phone could be found on the counter by the DVDs, and, with a gratuitous smile, Amy disappeared back into the time machine. With a roll of his eyes, the Doctor joined Rory and Tabitha by the grey doors, forcibly putting himself in between them and inconspicuously grabbing Tabitha's hand at the same time.

"So... how do we get in?" asked Rory. He had not missed the Doctor's reasoning behind putting himself between Rory and the TARDIS child, and it took all of the Centurion's self-control not to laugh at the immature Time Lord.

With a shrug, the Doctor said, "I don't know. Push a button." He gestured to the panel beside the door. On the top of the panel was a green button with a white anchor, the bottom a red button with a white waterfall. Rory pressed the green anchor, and the doors slid open to reveal a plain white room with a pair of white chairs and a white table in the center. Atop the table was the largest magnifying glass any of them had seen. "Okay, so rain check on the soaring silver colonnades." The Doctor crept into the room, wary of immaculate rooms with a mysterious object standing obviously in front of them. It usually spelled trouble. Rory entered behind him, just as cautious if not more so.

"Don't you think we should wait for Amelia?" Tabitha wondered, glancing back over her shoulder at the open doors of the TARDIS. Amy had yet to rejoin them, and she was getting worried. Why should she, though? It was the TARDIS, no safer place in the universe. But something nibbled at the back of her mind and made her worry. _It'd be better if each of us had a partner_, concluded Tabitha. "Doctor, you go ahead with Rory. I'm going to wait until Amelia comes out."

"Nah, she'll be fine," the Doctor exclaimed, his voice echoing off the walls of the white room. "Tabitha, come see this."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Though her concerns were not lessened, Tabitha followed Rory and the Doctor into the room, jumping when the doors slid shut behind her with a resounding THUD. _That's not disconcerting at all_, she thought sarcastically. Slowly, she made her way over to the table opposite Rory and grinned at him through the magnifying glass, which he happily returned. "We're in a white room with nothing but a table, chairs, and a large magnifying glass when we should have traveled to Apalapucia... wait, that's exactly where we are; I can feel it. So what do you think happened? Tabitha, any thoughts?" She shook her head, not that the Doctor minded. It only meant he could impress her more when he figured out just what had happened to the beautiful planet. "Neither do I. But we'll figure it out soon enough; we always do. Now, let's focus on this thing." Pushing Rory out of the way, he leaned his elbows on the surface of the table to look through the glass. "Why are you here?"

"Hey?" they heard Amy shouted through the doors. Rory made his way over to them, Tabitha by his side. "Hey! It's locked."

"Press the button," Rory told her. They waited for Amy to join them... and waited... and waited... "Come on, Amy!" Sighing, he pushed the single button on the wall, and the doors opened. But, behind them, was the empty white room they first arrived in, and there was no sign of the Scottish woman. "Where is she? Where on wherever we are is my wife?"

The Doctor did not answer. Sitting in one of the chairs, he noticed that, like on the panel outside, there were two buttons on the handle of the magnifying glass, top green and bottom red. He pressed the green one. Like turning on a television, an image of Amy appeared in the glass, but it was blurry. "Rory, I think I've found her." Sharing a curious glance, Rory and Tabitha sidled up behind the Doctor, the former jumping at the sight of his wife staring back at them from within the magnifying glass. They peered above it, below it, and around it, but Amy was obviously not on the other side.

"Whoa! No, but, she's not... she's not here! I can see her, but she's not here."

"Where am I? In fact, where are you?" the Scottish woman demanded. Before they could answer, the door to the green anchor room slid open. A faceless robot, white just like everything else, stood in the doorway. Though its face was blank, true, human-like hands were connected to its arms, and the robot raised one of its hands before jerkily walking into the room. The Doctor, Rory, and Tabitha straightened up, with the two men pushing the woman behind them to keep her safe. They put their hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture, but there was a large, toothy grin on the Time Lord's face. From the glass, Amy's voice called out for them, asking what was happening in the anchor room.

Rapidly, the Doctor said, "Hands! Hello. Hands. Handbot with hands, Rory."

"I think he can see that, Doctor," Tabitha whispered, her hand on his shoulder and oblivious to the shudder that ran down the Doctor's spine because of her warm breath on his ear. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had gathered. It only dissipated entirely when the robot spoke.

"Welcome to the Twostreams Facility. Will you be visiting long?"

"Uh, Doctor," Amy began. Her image and voice were fluctuating, and the Doctor leapt over to the table. "Something's happening." The Time Lord tried to get the picture back using his sonic screwdriver, but only succeeded in making it worse, all the while muttering under his breath about how time has gone 'wobbly. I hate it when it does that.' Tabitha resisted the urge to roll her eyes before pulling Rory back as the robot thrust his hand out and asked its question once more, looking as if it were merely asking for a high five. But Tabitha knew better than to trust robots of any kind. She had no idea where they were or what was going on and so decided to play it safe, if only for Rory's, Amy's, and the Doctor's sake. Well, the Doctor's more than anyone else's. That was the whole reason her mother had created her, after all. Sometimes Tabitha wondered if she should be upset about that. But then she realized that there was not a single, more entertaining job in the entire cosmos... and she would not give it up for the world.

"Good question, bit sinister," commented Rory. "What's the answer to not get us killed?"

With an exclamation, the Doctor found the image once again. This time, it showed Amy sitting in the corner of the red waterfall room. Upon hearing the Doctor, she glanced up angrily at the Time Lord and ran up to meet him at the magnifying glass. "And where have you been? I've been waiting here for a week!" As the Doctor tried to figure out what happened, coming to the conclusion that the two rooms were running on different times streams, Tabitha and Rory were debating with what to tell the robot.

"What do I tell it?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're an alien!" _Only partly, a__s if that explains anything, _Tabitha mused. "I thought all aliens knew each other. The Doctor certainly acts like it. Whoa!" Rory stumbled back into a corner, Tabitha still behind him. He reached an arm out in case the robot attempted to get passed him to her. Which, Rory told himself, would not be happening anytime soon while he stood here. "Doctor, a little help over here." He flinched when it moved its hand closer to his face, stopping inches from his protruding nose. "Doctor! What do we do?"

"Why does it have hands?" Tabitha wondered aloud out of the blue, breaking the heavy, worried atmosphere in the green anchor room. Her random question even made the robot pause for thought, while Rory glanced sideways at her with a lifted eyebrow. "What would a robot need hands for anyways?" Her hands lowered, one of them straying to her pocket where she kept the toy robot that George had given her after their last visit. Tabitha reminded herself to put it in her room later for safe keeping. "Scratch that, I could think of a number of things, most of which are not very pleasant..."

"Tabs, not helping," Rory told her.

"I know. But would you rather have me rambling or panicking? Take your pick." Rory remained silent, his eyes on the robot as it moved its hand back and forth, like a sort of greeting but much more creepy. Rory followed the swaying with his head. "Doctor, care to give us a hand with this? Pun not intended." She nearly sighed in relief as he walked over to the robot after stabilizing the picture and their only connection to Amy, examining the thing with a critical eye.

"Organic skin, ultimate universal interface, grown and grafted, not born. It's actually seeing with its fingers, scanning the room. But why not just give it eyes?" After his short speech, the robot asked its question once more. "As long as it takes." Guessing that it was not truly a threat to Rory and Tabitha, who had moved to cling to the back of the human's jacket, the Doctor moved back to the magnifying glass. As much as he hated to admit it, they could handle themselves if it came to fighting off a single robot. Tabitha was smart, and Rory was a Centurion (technically). One robot should be easily dealt with. Amy, however, was alone and somewhere where the Doctor could not follow, if his assumptions were correct, which they normally were. He had to stay with her, comfort her, encourage her, until they could find a way to rescue her. But, to do that, the Doctor needed to know what happened. "Amy, what exactly did you do?"

"I came in, and I pressed the door button."

"Amelia, there were two buttons," Tabitha replied while at the same time gently guiding Rory away from the robot. It turned so that its faceless head was always facing them, but the robot did not move any closer. She pushed Rory towards the door, and she took up a position next to the Doctor. "The green anchor and the red waterfall. Did you push the red one?" When Amy confirmed this, Rory left. Tabitha and the Doctor waited with Amy, listening for the sign of the doors sliding open on her side. Neither of them expected it, though, and were not surprised when, after a few minutes, the doors to the green anchor room opened, and Rory stepped in with frustration evident on his features.

"I pressed red waterfall, and she wasn't there!"

"Of course she isn't," the Doctor muttered beneath his breath, quite enough so the human could not hear him. The Doctor jumped out of the chair and stormed over to the robot, allowing Rory to sit down so he and his wife could share a loving but panicked look. "So you can't follow her directly. You know, it's never simple! Hear that, Handbot? She just pressed the wrong button. We're aliens; we didn't know."

"Statement... rejected." A red light flashed on its chest. "Apalapucia is under planet-wide quarantine. This is a kindness facility for those infected with Chen7." Tabitha and Rory jumped and swiftly went to the Doctor's side when he covered the bottom half of his face with his jacket, and they did the same. As Rory and the Doctor went back and forth, talking about Chen7, which was also known as the one day plague. According to the Doctor, 'you get it, and you die in a day,' much to Tabitha's horror. When Amy heard that, she clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. "There are 40,000 residents in the Twostreams Facility. Please remain in the sterile areas. Visiting hours are now." Putting its hands together, the robot teleported away, and Tabitha, the Doctor, Rory, and Amy all dropped their hands or jackets from their faces.

The Doctor lowered himself into one of the chairs, muttering, "Sterile area. I'm safe." He stiffened when an awful, heartswrenching thought came to mind. Glancing at Tabitha out of the corner of his eyes, the Doctor remembered that, being part Time Lord, she may have two hearts as well.

_She's also part human_, the small, optimistic part of his brain said in a chipper voice. _She might have only one heart._

_And that's supposed to cheer me up?_ he mentally snapped. _If she has one heart, that means she's more human. Hooray that she can't get infected by Chen7. Boo because, if she's more human, then that means I could lose her. Humans never last on the TARDIS. It won't matter if she's part Time Lord or part time machine. Donna was part Time Lord, and look what happened to her. I can never see her again!... if that happened to Tabitha, I'd be crushed. I can't lose her, especially not like that. _

_You're really selfish, you know that?_

_Shut up._

"Oi!" Amy slapping the glass brought him out of his argument with himself. "What about me?"

"Chen7 only affect two-hearted races like Apalapucians."

"And Time Lords," Rory added. Beside him, Tabitha inhaled sharply. Catching her gaze, the Doctor reached out with a smile, took her hand in his, and drew her close enough so that she could rest her other hand on his shoulder. Through that simple touch, the Doctor could feel all the care and worry she had for him, and it made his hearts swell with a happy, embarrassed warmth. He was used to people caring for him, but the Doctor would never grow accustomed to having Tabitha willing to fight for him, anything to make sure he survived each adventure. Having someone so selfless by his side reminded the Doctor that, despite everything he had done, he could not be all bad. Tabitha - sweet, innocent, Tabitha - cared for him. That had to count for something, right? He pressed a lingering kiss on the back of her hand, grinning at the blush that colored her cheeks.

"Yeah, like me. In that facility, I'm dead in a day. Time moves faster on Amy's side of the glass." Releasing the TARDIS child (the Doctor could not risk having his mind all muddled at the moment), the Time Lord slapped his hands on the glass table, stood, and began pacing the length of the room while talking aloud, trying to make sense of what was going on. Tabitha leaned against the table on one side of the glass and Rory the other, her emerald eyes never wavering from the Doctor. "Amy, you said you'd been here a week. What did you eat?"

"Nothing. I wasn't hungry."

"No, because Red Waterfall time is compressed. That's the point. The Time Glass syncs up the time streams for visits. You could be here for a day, watch them live out their entire lives." The two men and Tabitha all crowded in front of the glass as the gravity of the situation thickened the atmosphere.

"And watch them grow old in front of your eyes? That's horrible," said Rory.

"No, it's merciful," Tabitha countered. "Think about it, Rory. It's actually quite nice of them. You can either sit by someone's bed side for twenty-four hours and watch them die, or you can sit in here for a day and watch them live out their entire life. Not only do you get to watch them live, they get to live knowing you were able to be there until the very end. They live to a ripe, old age that most humans don't get. It's a kindness in death. Morbid, but beautiful in a way." She started when Tabitha realized what she had said. "Not that that's going to happen to Amelia. Because we're going to rescue her whatever it takes. Right, Doctor?"

"Right!" The Doctor ruffled her hair before taking the time glass and moving to the other side of the room. "Amy, I'm taking the Time Glass back to the TARDIS. Like satnav, I'll use it to get a lock, then smash through, using the TARDIS to get you out. Until then, you're on your own." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the glass. "I'm locking onto you, Amy. Small act of vandalism. No one'll mind." Just as the words were out of his mouth, an alarm sounded. "Ah, that will be the small act of vandalism alarm. Amy, I need you to go into the facility just for a bit. Find somewhere safe and leave me a sign. Remember, you're immune to Chen7, but don't let them give you anything. They don't know you're alien. Their kindness will kill you. Now go!" They watched Amy enter the facility, and the doors closed behind her but not before she could tell Rory that she loved him.

"Now save me," she continued. "Go on." With that said, the three left the room and raced back to the TARDIS where the Doctor inserted the handle of the glass into the console. He attached a cable to the glass, which set off some smoke. He rummaged through a toolbox full of odds and ends, some important some not, while Tabitha and Rory waved the acrid smelling smoke from their faces.

"This is locked onto Amy permanently. Play the signal into the console, the TARDIS'll follow it. Now then, I know you're in here. Um... erm.. Haha!" The Doctor emerged victorious with a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his face. "How do I look?"

"Ridiculous," answered Rory and Tabitha honestly.

"Glasses are cool. See?" Beaming, the Doctor switched the glasses onto Rory's face. He spun him around to look at the screen so that Rory knew that there was a camera in the glasses, letting him what Rory saw at all times. He also showed him the mini microphone and ear piece so that they could communicate. "We're breaking into Twostreams. Now, I can't go in, the Chen7'll kill me, no regeneration. You will be my eyes and ears. However, smashing through a timewall could get a bit hairy. Don't know if it's safe. Never tried. Best hold onto something." Rory grasped firmly onto the rail, and Tabitha grabbed the console by the Doctor's side. He was about to send them off on a daring rescue for a certain favorite Scottish woman when the Doctor suddenly turned to Tabitha. "Can you do that thing again? Touch the console. Make the journey nice and easy. I'd like that just this once."

"Not this time. Sorry."

"Thought not." Pressing a button, the Doctor wrapped one arm around Tabitha's waist, one around a handle on the console, and held one tight as the TARDIS bumped and crashed through the timewall separating them from Amy. He laughed like a mad man as they hit turbulence. Once the time machine settled, his grip tightened for a moment before releasing. The Doctor removed the glass from the console, connected it to a sash he had found along with the glasses, and draped it over Rory's shoulder so that the glass rested against his thigh. "Here we are. You're going to want to take this with you to find Amy. Good luck, Rory the Roman, and try to stay alive. Alright?" Patting Rory on the cheek, the Doctor spun him around and sent the human on his way with a kick to his backside, only for his smile to drop when he noticed Tabitha going with him. "No, no, no, no... where do you think you're going, Tabitha?"

"With Rory."

"Didn't you hear? Chen7 is fatal to anyone with two hearts."

"Well, does she have two hearts?" Rory questioned. The alien and part-alien shrugged simultaneously. "Then let's find out! Um... how exactly do we figure it out if she has more than one heart?"

"Thus sayeth the nurse," the Doctor muttered at the same time Tabitha said, "Ask Mum. She'll tell you anything if you ask nice enough." When Rory asked why that was the case, Tabitha giggled. "While she was Idris, she fancied you a bit,... Pretty." At the sound of his old nickname, Rory groaned. He had hoped that that name had died along with Idris. With her daughter traveling with them, it turned out to be a fool's hope. "You want to know if I have two hearts. Just ask that."

With a sigh and a hand running through his hair, Rory said, "Okay. Um, TARDIS (this is so weird), does Tabitha have two hearts?" He ducked as the screen swung around to show him an X-ray, presumably of Tabitha's chest, where a heart pounded rapidly against her ribcage. A heart, meaning one, singular. "One heart. She's immune to Chen7." The Doctor pushed Rory out of the way to stare at the screen in shock. "Why is it beating so quickly, though?"

"What?!"

"It can't be stress... adrenaline, possibly? Excitement about an alien planet?..."

"That's impossible!"

"Just what we need: another thrill-seeker in the TARDIS..."

"How can she have one heart? She's two parts alien!"

"Then again-"

"Quiet!" Tabitha snapped at them, and both men fell silent at her outburst. Very rarely did Tabitha show her anger or frustration. When she did, for the sake of their health, it was good for anyone in the vicinity to pause and listen to what she had to say. A calm Tabitha was a happy Tabitha, Rory had learned. "You two can figure that out later. Right now, we have to go save Amelia from those robots, or they'll kill her with kindness. Let's go, Rory. We've wasted enough time." Grabbing the back of his jacket, Tabitha made to stalk towards the doors of the TARDIS and out of the time machine, but the Doctor grasped her wrist and yanked her back before she got any farther. She released Rory with a yelp, spun around, and crashed against the Doctor's thin chest with a gasp as the air was forced from her lungs; he grabbed her shoulders to keep her there. Glancing up at him, she raised an amused eyebrow. The concern in his bright blue eyes brought a smile to her face. "Doctor, don't worry about us. I promise keep Rory out of trouble." Neither of them heard the offended 'Oi!' in the background.

_It's not Rory I'm worried about_, the Doctor thought. Absently, one of his hands came up to cup her cheek, the warmth seeping into his palm. His thumb brushed over her fair skin, leaving a burning trail of red in its wake that elicited a chuckle from him. _And she says that I blush easily. Pot, kettle, black_. Rather than saying anything of this, he told her, "I want you back here in one piece, alright? The Ponds too, if you can help it." Nodding, Tabitha pressed her hands on both sides of his head and brought it down to press a kiss on his forehead. "Good luck. Find Amy, and stay safe." _Come back to me. _He nearly tagged that onto the end, but the Doctor bit the inside of his mouth and swallowed the words.

"Try not to go mad in here without me."

Grinning, the Time Lord pulled her into a hug, just wanting to hold her a moment longer before she went out there where he would not be able to help her. The only he could do was guide them from the confines of his TARDIS, which was not much comfort to him. Her arms immediately went around him and clasped behind his back. "I'm already mad. A mad, mad man with a box."

"Don't I know it?" Pulling herself from his hold, Tabitha gave his hands one last comforting squeeze before racing from the TARDIS with Rory. The Doctor, however, yanked her back and tucked the sonic screwdriver into her hand, sending her off with a final kiss on her forehead. Smiling at him, she left. Before the doors closed, however, the Doctor heard the human ask 'Why are your cheeks so red?' to which Tabitha hastily replied, 'Shut up, Rory.'


	31. The Girl Who Waited 2

**Doctor Who's doesn't belong to me... which, in my opinion, is a very, very good thing.**

**So, the other day, I tried to give my dog a bath. After a finished, she rolled around on the ground and once again became dirty. So, we're going to try again today. In the mean time, enjoy Chapter Thirty.**

**P.S: Sorry that it's taking me so long between updates. I've been working on a Sherlock story, another Doctor Who one, a Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones one, an Avengers one all at the same time, and a Supernatural one (all of these are 'maybes' at the moment, depending on how many chapters I manage to write without my muse suddenly going 'Hah! Nope.'). I'll attempt to be speedier with updates, but if I manage to get even slower with them then at least you know why.**

**Also, I started reading a new book and am pouring most of my attention into that, have my last year of high school to conquer, and have recently gotten into Supernatural and am trying to get caught up (all of which are rather pathetic excuses... except the senior year one) :P So, again, sorry about the slow updates. I'll try to do better!**

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"Bit of Earth," Rory muttered as he traipsed through the gallery, eyeing the _Mona Lisa_. Tabitha skipped along beside him with the strap holding the magnifying glass across her chest, having taken it from him once the TARDIS doors closed behind them. She was not surprised to see the _Mona Lisa_, along with the _Venus di Milo, _in the Red Waterfall room. The Doctor had told them through the 'Rory-Cam' that Apalapucians were cultural scavengers, and this gallery happened to be a scrapbook of all their favorite places. Tabitha resisted the urge to touch any of the pieces as she had no desire to get in trouble with the Handbots, keeping her hands clasped on the strap over her shoulder and chest at all times.

"Bit of alien." He glance at sculpture that seemed to be carved from marble, but the coloring was off. Rather than being pure white, it possessed a pale blue tint that Rory found to be a lovely color. Despite that, he remained at least four feet between him and the alien sculpture. He did not know if they could trap whoever touched it, or melt, or do anything at all. So Rory kept a safe distance from everything alien, except Tabitha. She would stay by his side the whole time; the Doctor would kill him if Rory did not keep an eye on her. Turning, he started at a column that pulsated with an eerie blue-purple light with violet liquid rolling down the sides. "Bit of... whatever the hell that is."

"That sounds familiar," Tabitha remarked. Rory looked down at her with an eyebrow lifted inquisitively. In response, she pointed to herself, a large grin on her face. "It sounds like me. A bit human, a bit Time Lord, and a bit TARDIS." _Though I'd never refer to my mother as 'whatever the hell that is.' I'd be grounded until the end of the universe._

"I keep forgetting that you're an alien, Tabs," Rory admitted. "You act so human sometimes. I'm never going to get used to it."

"Nope." Laughing, the two continued side-by-side through the empty gallery.

"Where is everyone?" Rory asked after a moment of silence. He listened to the mini-mike in his ear as the Doctor gave him commands, Tabitha just swaying back and forth next to him. She wanted to talk to the Doctor, but she also knew that they would find Amy faster if Rory had the glasses. So she put aside her wants and focused on what was necessary. When Rory relayed to her the Doctor's orders, Tabitha did so hastily, sonicing the glass and holding it up so that she and Rory could look through it together. On the other side, dark, humanoid shapes milled through the gallery, strolling to and fro across the magnifying glass. "'And there they are. 40,000 time streams overlapping. Red Waterfall isn't one time stream. It's thousands'... the Doctor's words, not mine."

"Out of curiosity, are they happy?" Tabitha asked suddenly. Rory glanced down at her, confused. "All these people are stuck here, trapped, dying. If they're not happy, then they're miserable, and that's a heartbreaking thought. Even in death, they should be satisfied with the life they've lived." The human could see the sadness in her green eyes as she stared unblinkingly through magnifying glass at the unseen people roaming the gallery on the other side. "Will you ask the Doctor that for me, Rory? Are they happy?" Glancing down at the shorter woman and with a gentle smile, Rory repeated her question. "What does he say?"

"Well, um, he says - and these are his words, not mine - 'Oh, Tabitha, such a sweet, innocent star.'" Rory nearly laughed at how rapidly her face colored and how deeply. "'They certainly are. They're happy to be alive. It's better than the alternative, I should think.'" Smiling, Tabitha lowered the magnifying glass, satisfied with the Doctor's answer. Once Rory and Tabitha returned their attention to the current time stream and 'Operation: Find Amy', they were surprised to find someone in pieced-together armor charging at the with a katana. Without a second thought, Rory shoved Tabitha behind him but tripped over his feet while stumbling backwards and sent himself to the ground, Tabitha jumping out of the way at the last second. Her green eyes locked onto the masked figure, finding something oddly..._familiar _about the person.

"We come in peace!" Rory pleaded, hands raised in surrender. The figure touched the tip of their sword to Rory's throat. "Peace! Peace, peace, peace!"

Slowly walking around the person so as not to draw attention to herself, Tabitha was not surprised to find that the figure possessed long, fiery red hair. Due to the homemade mask, the warrior's voice was computer enhanced, making it unrecognizable. "I waited."

"Sorry, what?"

"I waited for you." The person retracted their sword, and Rory breathed a sigh of relief. They turned towards Tabitha, pain and heartbreak in the figure's grey-blue eyes. "Both of you." Without turning from Tabitha, the person removed their helmet to reveal an aged Amy Pond. The TARDIS child gasped and moved closer to Amy while Rory talked over the comm. with the Doctor, trying to figure out what had happened. When Amy flinched away from her, Tabitha bit her lip to battle the tears threatening to run over. Though it grew increasingly harder when Amy said in a cold, emotionless voice, "Hello, Tabitha."

"Amelia," Tabitha gasped, unable to comprehend what was right in front of her. She took a step forward, circled around the aged ginger, and came to a stop in front of Amy, standing between her and Rory. Hesitantly, Tabitha reached out to touch her but dropped her hand at the steely glint in Amy'sworld weary eyes. "What happened?"

Amy scoffed. "'What happened?' You and the Doctor abandoned me. That's what happened!" Unable to speak, Tabitha shook her head. "No? That isn't what you'd call leaving me here for thirty-six years? Yeah, thirty-six years. That's how long I've been here. To the day. And with every passing moment I thought that I'd hear that stupid wheezing noise. When it never happened, I thought you'd come for me the next day... or the next day... or the next day. But, you know what? You never came." Enraged, Future Amy firmly pushed Tabitha out of her way, sending the dark-haired woman reeling back, raised her sword to attack, and advanced on a now standing Rory. At her command, he ducked and crawled over to Tabitha as Future Amy stabbed through the head of a handbot that had appeared behind Rory. Destroyed, it fell backwards off the blade.

Behind her, Tabitha pulled Rory to his feet. Neither of them could stop staring at Future Amy, though, with a mixture of heartbreak, horror, and awe, unable to find their voices. Heartbreak that their bright and bubbly Scottish friend and wife had transformed into a cynical woman with a grudge that literally transcended time and space. Horror at how their Amy seemed to be lost forever; even now, neither Tabitha or Rory could see any remnant of the ginger woman who they had been separated from less than twenty minutes ago. But there was also awe in their gazes. For Rory, he was awed by the fact that Amy stood before them, though she was much older than when they had left her. She was older, yes, but she was alive, and that is was Rory's main concern had been. Tabitha was awed by how well Amy had taken care of herself. _How she managed to dodge the Handbots for this long, I have no idea. But, if anyone could do it, it'd be Amelia. No one messes with a Scot... at least, that's what I've gleaned from her. _She would have to remind herself later to ask why that was the case. _That is if we can get Amelia back._

Truthfully, despite all the hope in her heart, Tabitha doubted that they could. Time travel was one thing, as was space travel, but this was slowly falling into the realm of paradoxes. If it crossed that line, the TARDIS would not be able to handle it, and the paradox could rip apart the universe. Because Tabitha knew that the Doctor would not settle for older Amelia; he would do everything in his power to get younger Amelia back, and older Amelia would not be too pleased with that. Both could not travel with them. So one had to be left behind, and Tabitha knew exactly who it would be. _This isn't going to end well. _Her emerald eyes found Rory, whose attention was solely focused on Amy, as if she were the only thing in the room, but his hand clung to her leather sleeve in a vice grip, skin taut and white over his clenched knuckles. _Not at all._

Ignoring them, Future Amy sheathed her katana and said seemingly to herself, "Handbots carry a black box in case they go offline. I've changed the cause of termination from hostile to accidental." She knelt by the downed robot and pulled said black box from the robot's neck. "Easy to reprogram. Using my sonic probe." Flipping a switch on a switch, a green light flashed before she returned it.

But Rory was not interested in that, his mind still coming to terms that _Amy_, his wife, was standing before him and nearly forty years older. "Amy."

"Rory," Future Amy threw back coldly.

"Why?"

"I've survived this long by making the Handbots think I don't exist. Don't touch the hands. Anesthetic transfer - if they touch you, you go to sleep." Tabitha could see that Future Amy had no desire to talk about what had transpired during her thirty-six years: the fear, the agonizing wait, the heartbreak when she realized that they were not coming for her, the bitter reality of having to go on alone. The thought that they had forced this fate upon their dearest friend was enough to make Tabitha hang her head low in shame. Even though it was hard with Rory still latched onto her, Tabitha uncomfortably crossed her arms and looked away, the sight of Future Amy making her heart clench in pain.

"But you're still here," replied Rory, trying to make sense of everything.

With a roll of her eyes that neither Rory nor Tabitha saw, Future Amy pushed herself to her feet and faced them with a calm yet icy expression on her face. "You didn't save me." Seeing that her words had the desired effect, watching the pain enter their eyes, Future Amy strode away, intent on leaving them behind as they had her. However, Rory was not one to be easily deterred, and he hastily caught up to her, Tabitha trailing after them in silence.

"This is the saving! This is the us saving you!" exclaimed Rory as he wheeled around to face her, halting the ginger in her tracks. "The Doctor just got the TIMING A BIT OUT!" His voice rose to a scream, and Tabitha flinched at the rage and hurt in his tone.

_Sorry_, Tabitha heard the Doctor say in her mind, just as shaken as she was.

Refusing to make eye contact with the man she once loved, Amy muttered, "I've been on my own here a long, long time. I've had decades to think nice thoughts about him. Got a bit harder to stay charitable once I entered decade four."

"Forty years? Alone?"

"Thirty-six," offered Tabitha sadly, her voice barely above a whisper. The ginger glared at Tabitha for a moment, the heat of it sweltering on the TARDIS child's skin, before angrily pushing her hair back and turning away. "You've aged well, though," she continued. Future Amy's angry gaze snapped up to Tabitha once more and searched for mocking or malice in those large, innocent, green eyes. All she found, though, was sincere honesty and torment hiding beneath it. Just like Future Amy remembered, Tabitha could never be intentionally or unintentionally cruel to anyone. Frustrated? Yes. Angry? At times. But taking revenge or being cruel was just not who she was, and Future Amy had to stop the corners of her lips from flickering upwards in a small smile. "As beautiful as you've ever been."

And Tabitha meant every word. If anything, the years that had hardened her into a heartless soldier had preserved her appearance rather than diminish it. Her hair was a lighter shade than Tabitha remembered, with white strands streaking through the red. Her face was impassive, but every emotion she had repressed and had wanted to forget could been seen in her hazel eyes, desperately fighting their way out. She was much stronger and more intelligent than her present day counterpart. All this, plus the wrinkles lining her skin, made for a very brilliant, distinguished woman in Tabitha's eyes.

"She's right. Right, I mean... you look great. Really. Really." Rory stared unashamedly at the woman his wife had become.

"Eyes front, soldier," Future Amy deadpanned. As Rory grumbled about how the Doctor had told him the same thing, Future Amy brushed passed him and continued speaking, "In fact, I think I can now definitely say I hate him. I hate The Doctor. I hate him more than I've ever hated anyone in my life." She looked Rory straight in the eye, and Tabitha knew that her words were directed towards the Time Lord in the TARDIS. She could only imagine how he was feeling. "And you can hear every word of this through those ridiculous glasses, can't you, Raggedy Man?"

"_Ah, yes_," the Doctor's voice said over the speaker. It sounded distracted and disbelieving, like he was having just as difficult of a time comprehending the situation as Tabitha and Rory were. "_Putting the speaker phone on."_

"You told me to wait...and I did. A lifetime."

"Amy..."

"You've got nothing to say to me," she growled at the Time Lord, stunning him into silence. Suddenly, she whirled on Tabitha, her eyes a raging inferno. "And where were _you_?" Tabitha jumped at the unexpected turn of events. "You were with him the entire time, and did you even think about coming to save me? At all? The Doctor would've given you anything you asked for: a self-portrait painted by Da Vinci himself, jewels from ancient Egypt, a front row seat to the end of the world... and you didn't even consider finding me, did you? You had the Doctor, you had my husband, your best friend - so what would you need me for?"

"Amelia-" tried Tabitha to cut in. Not to defend herself, but to apologize. But Future Amy was relentless, wanting her words to pierce Tabitha, to make them hurt as much as she had when she finally realized that she was on her own, that no one was coming for her.

"All you had to do was ask, and the TARDIS would've found me in a heartbeat. But you never did. All you cared about was keeping your precious Doctor safe and that stupid, ugly, blue box." Tabitha flinched with every word. Her eyes slid shut, and the first tear rolled miserably down her cheek, racing to her pointed chin and dripping onto her boot. It was quickly followed by another. "Did the TARDIS know she was going to make such a selfish child when she thought about creating you? I hope not. Because if she had then she's just as worse as you, probably more. It would've been better for us all if you had never been born, _Tabitha._" Her name was hissed out with such venom, and the first sob racked Tabitha's body as the wall holding them all back crumbled. "You've only put us all in danger. You're not worth anything."

Tabitha did not hear Rory or the Doctor gasp at Future Amy's words. She did not hear the Doctor starting to yell at Amy, or Amy at him, or Rory trying to calm them both down interspersed with concerned questions thrown her way. All she could hear or feel were the sobs that caused her shoulders to tremble, the warm, salty tears streaking down her cheeks and falling from her chin to splatter upon her boots, her arms grasping the other elbow firmly and attempting to hold her together, and the pain that had curled an icy, unrelenting grip around her heart, squeezing tighter and tighter with every passing moment. It was difficult to breathe, but somehow Tabitha managed to suck in a deep, shuddering breath as she tried desperately to fight back the sorrow that threatened to swallow her whole. This was not the time for her to fall apart, no matter how desperately she wanted to. They still had a mission to accomplish. Only when it ended would Tabitha allow herself a good cry. _The Doctor can do it. He can fight back all the emotions that hurt. He doesn't let them affect him. Why can't I?_

So, rubbing angrily at her eyes with the too long sleeve of the Doctor's leather jacket, Tabitha forced the tears to dry, bottled the sadness up for later, and straightened up with a calm, unruffled expression on her face. If it were not for the red rimming her eyes, one would have been hard pressed to believe she had been crying at all. Two pairs of eyes found her immediately, one with worry and the other with barely concealed animosity. In a stern voice, one that kept the trembling at bay, Tabitha commanded, "Stop arguing. We have to finish this." She turned to Future Amy and squashed the memory of her harmful words out of her mind, if only for this moment. "I don't know what happened, but we're going to save you, Amelia. This is not going to happen, never will have happened. Not if I have something to say about it."

Future Amy opened her mouth to respond, but, at the cry of 'Behind you!' from the Doctor, she wheeled around to find two Handbots advancing on them. In one swift move, she tossed her staff to Rory, grabbed the wrists of the two Handbots, and pressed their hands together. They immediately halted and bent over, unmoving. "Feedback. Knocks them out. Learned that trick on my first day." She turned to leave, Rory hustling behind her, still holding onto the staff. However, with a heavy sigh, Future Amy stopped and spun around, nearly causing Rory to bump into her. But he shuffled back quickly when she removed the second katana from the sheath on her opposite hip, flipped it over to hold it by the blade, and held out the hilt to Tabitha, who stared down at it in confusion.

"Why are you-"

"I'm not going to be responsible for either of you. Fight or die - those are your options." A moment passed. Then another. Then, with a quavering hand, Tabitha took the sword. She swung it around a few times, getting a feel for the weapon. Future Amy scoffed. "If only the Doctor could see you now with a weapon in your hand. He'd be ashamed." Without giving Rory or Tabitha a chance to respond, she strode out of the room, the two hot on her heels.

"Tabs," whispered Rory out of the corner of his mouth. The sound of his voice, a friendly voice, pulled Tabitha's eyes from the sword and onto him. Rory gulped at the thin layer of ice that had stretched over her green irises. It was not enough to hold back the tears forever. Rory knew from experience, though, that it would not take much for that ice to harden and expand until it reached her heart, stopping the anxiety-inducing emotions before they had a chance to strike.

And that terrified him.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, hoping he could break through the ice before it had a chance to spread and consume. "Amy should've never said any of those things. They're not true. Any of it."

"I'm fine, Rory," she answered a bit too quickly for his taste. Her gaze returned to the katana. Slowly, she brought her other hand up and ran it gingerly along the flat edge, marveling at how it felt in her hands; oddly, the metal was warm to the touch. This was the first time in her short life she had held any sort of weapon, and having one so obsolete yet so effective sent a thrill through her fingertips, up her arm, and down her spine, the agonizing moment with Future Amy temporarily forgotten. Despite how wrong her fascination with it was, the primitive, human emotions within her smirked, pleased that she had the weapon in her hand. Tabitha twirled her wrist, awed by the resistance the sword caused and the extra but mindless effort she had to exert to lift it until the fluorescent lights above glinted of the razor sharp edge.

"You sure?" Rory was uncomfortable with how enraptured with the sword Tabitha was. "It's not... healthy to keep your emotions repressed. In fact, it can be rather damaging to both your physical and mental health." His words stopped her hands in their tracks as they ran over the sword in a sort of reverence. "Tabs?"

"What does that mean?" she asked, genuinely bewildered by something he had said.

"What?"

"Repressed. Keeping my emotions repressed... what does that mean?"

The human started at Tabitha's inability to comprehend something so common. It only served to remind Rory that Tabitha was still a child, innocent and unsure of herself and the world she lived in. She knew the TARDIS because she had come from it, and Tabitha understood certain things about the world, things that she had gleaned from the minds of the former companions and the Doctor. And, from them, all she knew was emotions: anger, rage, pain, depression, joy, and so forth. Everyone who entered the TARDIS wore their hearts on their sleeves, no one more than the resident Time Lord. Tabitha knew that Future Amy's words hurt because of her limited knowledge of the world and the childlike mindset she still possessed. But more abstract concepts were still out of her realm of comprehension. She knew how emotions felt, but she did not know the _why'_s and _how_'s of them. Time and space came easily to her because of her connection with the TARDIS. But repression? Motives behind certain actions? They were unknown to her. She could feel them, but she certainly did not understand why or ask... until now.

"Um, well, it means that you stop from feeling them," he explained, wondering when he had turned from Roman centurion to first grade teacher. "It's usually because they hurt, but it's dangerous to try and bottle them up. They can build up and then explode without warning."

"Why?"

"Think of a box." Tabitha nodded, listening to Rory intently. "It can only hold so much before there's some stuff spilling over." Her mind went to the TARDIS, thinking of how much would be thrown out onto the streets if she were any average box. However, it was infinite, and so Tabitha had no reason to worry about anything in the time machine, junk or otherwise. "Well, you can do the same to your emotions. But when they start overflowing, it's a lot more damaging because you have unresolved problems that are coming out faster than you can deal with them. Make sense?"

"No," she replied, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry."

Rory opened his mouth to explain once more, but Amy's shout cut him off. "Keep up!" They quickened their steps to match pace with the incensed ginger.

"Okay, so we just take the TARDIS back to the right time stream, yeah? We can stop any of this happening," exclaimed Rory hopefully as they walked through a door and found themselves 'outside' the facility. Future Amy pulled off her helmet and tucked it beneath her arm, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. Without responding, Amy led them across the pathway with a determined, angry stride.

Over the speaker, the Doctor said dejectedly, "_We locked on to a time stream, Rory. This is it_."

"This is so wrong."

"I got old, Rory," Future Amy threw back over her shoulder nonchalantly. "What did you think was going to happen?" She did not anticipate Rory making a sudden grab for her arm and spinning her around, forcing her to look at him. Amy stumbled and nearly fell against his chest, but her sharp reflexes kept her on her feet. All she could do was stare at the offending appendage that gripped her arms with such tenderness and affection. _Same old Rory,_ she thought cynically. After all the horrid things she had said about the Doctor and Tabitha, he still looked at her with nothing but adoration in his eyes. Behind him, Tabitha made herself as inconspicuous as possible, knowing they needed the coming moments.

"I don't care that you got old!" he all but shouted. "I care that we didn't grow old together." Rory pleaded with her, appealing to the love she used to have for him, but Amy merely jerked her arm out of his hold and walked away, Rory staring after her in shock. "It's like you're not even her."

"Thirty-six years, three months, four days of solitary confinement." Future Amy came to a stop in front of a pair of metal doors, a red substance smeared over them, before wheeling around and facing Rory. "This facility was built to give people the chance to live. I walked in here and I died. Do you have anything to say?" What _could_ Rory say? "Anything, Doctor?" She stepped closer to the man she once loved, making sure the Doctor heard her and her despising tone loud and clear.

"_Where did you get a sonic screwdriver?_" the Doctor inquired, fascinated that a human possessed the capabilities of making one. After so long and after seeing so much from them, he severely underestimated his favorite species.

"Probe," Future Amy and Tabitha corrected at the same time. The former glared at Tabitha, making sure the dark-haired woman would not interrupt again before speaking. "I made it. And it's a sonic probe." Anything that would compare her probe to the Doctor's stupid screwdriver made her stomach turn over in disgust.

"You _made_ a sonic screwdriver?" questioned Rory.

"Probe." With that matter settled, the turned away, flung open the doors to the temporal engines room, and hurriedly ushered Tabitha and Rory inside, slamming the door shut behind them. She guided them through the room until they came upon a curtain formed from miscellaneous items chained clumsily together. Pushing it back, Rory let out a gasp at the sight of a Handbot standing in the corner, and, unconsciously, he pushed Tabitha behind him. But she merely walked over to the Handbot and tapped it on the shoulder. It spun around, revealing a drawn on smiley face. "Sit down, Rory," Amy commanded, purposely leaving out Tabitha's name as she still loathed the girl.

In silence, both Rory and the Handbot sat down... then looked at each other simultaneously, as if wondering why the other obeyed. "You named him after me?" Rory inquired.

"Needed a bit of company."

"So, he's like your..."

"Pet."

"Is it safe?"

"Yes," answered Tabitha. She gently grabbed Robot Rory's arm and lifted it, showing Human Rory the stump where the hands should have been. "She disarmed him. Literally." Her voice was low with a carefully hidden sadness. Even though it was just a robot, seeing anything harmed or defaced brought a frown to the face. "He can't touch anyone anymore."

Snorting, Amy spun around. "Oh, don't get so sentimental," she snapped disparagingly. "It's just a robot. You both would've done the same." Her eyes pointedly found the katana in Tabitha's hand, watching with a victorious smirk as the TARDIS child's grip tightened around the cloth-covered hilt until the skin drawn across her knuckles was white.

"I don't know that I would've," responded Tabitha with a coldness that Rory had never seen from her. Future Amy's grin just widened, and the two women had a fierce, staring showdown. Unlike with the Gangers, Amy did not turn away nor did she win. The tension in the room thickened with each passing second, Rory choking beneath the stifling atmosphere. He noticed with some alarm that Amy's hand had gone to cover the hilt of her own sword while Tabitha held hers out in front of her, prepared to fight if it came to it. However, Tabitha had never held a sword prior to then; Amy would have slaughtered her in a heartbeat if the Doctor's voice had not echoed through the speakers.

"_Amy-... Pond, please just listen to me_," begged the Time Lord. From inside the TARDIS, he had watched the two women's interactions and felt a stab of guilt at how ruthless his companion was being towards the TARDIS child. Every word she had said drove the spike deeper and deeper , and Tabitha's tears nearly sent him running from the time machine to comfort her. It was only when the TARDIS gave an angry hum did he remember that walking through the doors meant signing his death warrant, and so he watched with wide, sad eyes as Tabitha steeled herself against the emotions, intent on dealing with them later. But, if she was as similar to him as he thought, the Doctor knew that she would never sort through them.

Now, seeing Amy and Tabitha face off, swords in hands, the Doctor panicked and intervened before any bloodshed occurred. "_Pond_..."

"And there he is - the voice of God," Amy mocked. Her eyes never wavered from Tabitha, who had shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. Amy nearly smiled at the instinctive reaction. "Survive. 'Cause no one's going to come for you. Number one lesson. You taught me that."

"_Is that really all I taught you?_" Rolling her eyes, Amy tucked her sword away, pushed passed Tabitha, and looked directly into Rory's glasses.

"Don't you lecture me, blue-box man flying through time and space on whimsy with his useless partner." Her eyes flickered back briefly to the other woman. "All I've got - all I've had for thirty-six years - is cold, hard reality. So, no, I don't have a sonic screwdriver because I'm not off on a romp. I call it what it is - a probe. And I call my life what it is... Hell." She turned away, leaving Rory to stand there in bitter, brokenhearted astonishment, his mouth slightly open.

"_Amy Pond, I am going to put this right. You said you learned from an Interface. Can I speak with it?_"

"Doesn't work here," remarked Amy. She glanced down at the watched strapped onto her wrist. "2:23. The garden'll be clear now." To Rory, human Rory, she asked, "Stay or go?" Rory jogged to her side immediately, wordlessly choosing to stay by her side at all times. "Then try not to get killed. Or do. Whatever. As for you," Amy began, her eyes sliding reluctantly over to Tabitha, "I don't give a damn what you do, but I don't want you anywhere near me. Go back to the TARDIS, fight off the Handbots, go on the rollercoaster - I don't care. Just stay away from me. I don't need you here. No one does."

"Tough. I'm going," Tabitha told her. "You can't stop me."

Stepping around Rory, Amy pulled out her sword and pressed the tip against Tabitha's throat. Or she would have, if Tabitha had not brought up her sword to block it with a faint _clang_. The look in Amy's eyes was murderous as she growled, "Wanna bet?"

"Um, sorry, hi," cut in Rory. "You said it was 2:23. What happens if we don't get out of here before then?"

"We risk running into a Handbot."

"Shouldn't we be going then?" A few tense seconds passed where the women did nothing, only glared intensely at each other, and Rory did not dare speak or move or breathe lest he break the calm before the storm and send them into a fighting frenzy. When Rory thought that he would have to take their swords from them both, Amy shoved Tabitha away, placed her sword back in its scabbard, and stormed off. Rory immediately helped Tabitha up from where she fell, brushing the dirt from her jacket. "Are you okay, Tabs?" He jumped when Tabitha pulled away from him. "Tabs?"

"I'm fine, Rory. Let's get moving before she decides to abandon us." Without looking back and with her sword still firmly in her grasp, Tabitha chased after Amy, and Rory stared after both of the women in shock. _I have no idea what's going on. Whatever it is, though, I don't like it._


End file.
